Yugioh Oneshots
by phantomworks
Summary: This oneshot: Mockingbird. (I read To Kill a Mockingbird and this was the result). In the middle of spring time, little Yugi has been unsuccessful in finding a mate. He decides its time to look somewhere else, but can his neighbor change his mind?
1. I can do it!

Phantomworks; I had this random idea while talking to my friend Darkwingedkyle13 at lunch.

**Alice: it's funny.**

Phantomworks: It is… I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

I Can Do It!

"Hey, Yug'! Want ta play a card game?" Joey asked as the bell to go to lunch came.

"Sure! Let's duel!" Yugi exclaimed happily.

_**Okay, Aibou. Let me take over!**_

_No, Yami, it's just a game. No world take over plots or shadow game rules. I don't need help for this._ Yugi replied as he shuffled his deck. He had long since learned to not actually _talk_ when he conversed with his dark half after one too many strange looks from his friends.

_**But Aibou~! You're the King of Games! You can't let your reputation be jeopardized!"**_

_Yami, I'll be fine! It's just Joey anyway. Don't worry! I can do this!_

_**It's precisely **__**Joey**__** that I'm worried about! He's gotten stronger since the last time you two dueled! **__**And**__** he's always been one to place bets! I can't allow you to duel!**_

_Yami, I don't think-!_

"Okay, Yug'. You wanna go first?" Joey asked cheerfully, "Won't matta what ya play though. Lady Luck is on _my_ side!"

"I think that she may have switched teams while you weren't looking, Joey." A voice deeper than Yugi's original one came from the same lips. Crimson bloomed in amethyst irises and a confident air appeared in overwhelming amounts. Of course, Joey was used to this.

_Yami!_ Yugi whined.

"Seriously, Yams? I can't play ev'n one friendly game of Duel Monsters wit Yug'?" Joey whined disheartedly.

"Would you rather try to get Seto to play with you?" Yami asked, arrogantly. The blonde blushed slightly and furiously shook his head.

"No way, I don' want t'play wit dat B******!"

"Then make your move." Yami challenged, crossing his arms.

_Yami! Let me out! This isn't fair! You get to have __all__ the fun; I don't get to do anything anymore! Let me out!_

_**No, Aibou.**_ Yami responded, tightening his control on Yugi's body as the little one tried to regain his earlier position. This was quite easy since Yami didn't have to put all his focus on the card game that he and Joey were now in the midst of. Yugi did when he played and that left him open for Yami to move in and switch places, but Yami didn't have to- he was just that good.

_Yami please! I can do it! I can win against Joey!_

_**No Aibou. **__**I**__** am playing. We can play a game later.**_

_It's not the same! You always beat me! I want to win sometimes too!_

_**I could **__**let**__** you win.**_

_NO! That doesn't count! I want to play and win fairly! With my friends and have fun!_

_**As the King of Games, you can't afford to lose, Aibou.**_

_I'm not even the King of Games! __You__ are!_

… _**We will discuss this later, little one.**_

Yugi huffed and disappeared into his soul room. Dejected, he sat on the bed and stared at his toes, trying to think of a way to break Yami's concentration enough to regain control of his body.

A shock or scare usually worked on himself, but Yami was hardly scared of anything anymore. Get him angry? The dark half wouldn't get mad at Yugi for _any_ reason (except maybe losing his soul… again), so that was out of the question.

What else was there…?

With a shock, Yugi realized one way (or rather two) to get his dark half to lose concentration. But first, the bait.

_If I beat you in a game, will you let me play with my friends?_

… _**Maybe. It depends on what it is.**_

_I'm sure it's one you will enjoy._

_**What is it, Aibou?**_

_Concentration._

_**We've already played that game… many times. You always lose.**_

_Not this way, we haven't._

_**How's it going to be any different?**_

_In this game, my body will be the game piece. Whoever has control at the end of the duel winds, okay?_

_**Any rules on what we can or can't do?**_

_No forced over powering. One can only slip in when the other's concentration breaks. Anything else goes._

_**Interesting. Would you like to start?**_

_Thought __you__ always start. _Yugi purred.

_**No, I definitely remember times when you started the games.**_

_Yes, but you always __come__ for me to get me to play. _Yugi grinned at the shock he felt from his dark half. He took his chance.

_**Aibou!**_

"Yams, your turn." The blonde sighed. He was losing badly. At least with Yug', his opponent took it easy on him. With Yams, that was hardly the case.

"Okay, Joey." A higher, more child-like voice said. This caused Joey to blink and look up at his friend.

"Yug'? There a reason you two changed in da middle of a duel?"

"We're having a small contest to see who can concentrate the best. Sorry if we end up switching a lot on you." He smiled.

"I'm guessin' ya challenged him in orda ta play wit us again, right?" Joey grinned.

"Yep."

_**Aibou! That's cheating!**_

_I __said__ 'anything else goes'._

_**Oh~ho! I see what game you're playing now!**_

_Whatever do you mean? _Yugi smiled innocently.

"Yug'? You okay?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, I'm just-!"

_**Dirty talking with Yami.**_ His dark half finished, appearing next to Yugi.

"Eep!" Yugi blushed bright red and Yami took his chance.

_Yami!_

"Hello again." Yami said.

"Hey. So, how long is dis goin' ta go on fer?" Joey asked, playing a monster card.

"Until the end of the duel."

"Ah, I see."

_Yami! You cheated!_

_**I seem to recall you saying 'anything else goes', Aibou. **_Yugi ducked his head sheepishly. He was back in his soul room now and was trying to figure out a way to get the ex-pharaoh to lose concentration again.

_I seem to recall __you__ saying something __else__ last night._

_**As I recall you screaming my name last night.**_

_Eep!_

_**Two**__** can play at this game, little one.**_

_Please__ don't tease me, Yami. _Yugi whined.

_**Oh, I intend to tease you, **__**long**__** into the night.**_

Yugi 'eep'ed again. This was getting him nowhere! He _had_ to win in order to play with his friends again!

Time to step things up a notch.

_Only if you promise to use the chains._

Yami stopped his movements in the physical world for only a moment.

"Yug'?" Joey guessed.

"No, it's still me." Yami let out a shaky breath. The blonde looked at him questioningly, but shrugged and continued to play.

_**Chains, Aibou? Really?**_ Yami asked doubtful.

_You don't like them? __I__ like them. The feel of cold metal on my overheated skin… the sound they make as you thrust into me…_ desire rolled out of Yami's mind like a thick fog.

Joey saw his buddy change again, "Yug'?"

His friend didn't answer, but continued to play.

_The fact that I'm so helpless and vulnerable with them that I can't do anything to stop you…_ Yugi trailed off.

_**Keep going, Aibou.**_ Yami said, suddenly next to Yugi in the smaller's soul room. The lusty look in those crimson eyes made Yugi shiver and momentarily forget why he had been going on and on like he had.

Then he remembered.

Since Yami was inside the soul room with him, which must mean that he could take over again, right?

_**Wrong, Aibou. You have too high an estimate on how much I actually concentrate on controlling the 'game piece'. I can do many things, think of many things, whilst playing a simple card game.**_Yami smirked.

_Hey! That's definitely against the rules!_ Yugi retorted.

_**Anything else goes, Aibou. And I'm pretty sure that you meant **__**anything.**_Yami sauntered over to the smaller who was still sitting on his bed.

_That shouldn't count! I'm at a disadvantage!_

_**I did not make the rules of the game, Aibou, though once in play, they cannot be changed. **_The dark teen leaned over his hikari, bracing his weight with his arms on either side of the smaller's waist. Yugi didn't back up, but only leaned backwards on his own arms.

_You knew from the beginning that I would lose!_

_**Maybe, maybe not, it's a good thing I didn't make a bet that ended other challenges to get to play with your friends again, yes?**_

_Oooh!_Yugi huffed. There had to be some way to get out of this and win… maybe he could…, _other challenges, meaning…?_

_**More of this, of course. You don't think I'd be so cruel as to let you give up hope, completely, right?**_

… _You're toying with me._

_**I'm pretty sure the correct term is 'playing with you' and I'm not. 'Playing with you' is this.**_And the dark teen slipped his hand up Yugi's shirt. Yugi bit back a moan. He truly did hate it when his Yami _always_ got the upper hand, but in these cases, he'd make an exception. _**I'm sure you can see the difference, yes?**_

_Y-Yami…_ Yugi breathed, _please, don't tease me…_

_**I'm afraid I have to Aibou. What goes around, **__**comes**__** around.**_

_Mph! _Yugi bit back another moan as his dark pinched and flicked his nipples, 'playing' with him. His face heated up as the older teen leaned forward more, causing Yugi to lean back more until he was flat on the bed.

_**That's no good, Aibou. I want to hear you **__**scream**__**; scream in ecstasy that **__**only**__** I can give you!**_ Yami commanded, biting down on the smaller teen's neck in order to mark him, body and soul, as _his_ and no one, **no one**, else's!

_Ah!_ Yugi cried out, arching his neck to bare more of the pale skin to his other half. Yami pulled away for only a moment to take off Yugi's plain white shirt before running his fingers and lips over the smooth expanse of skin. The Hikari shivered in pleasure at the touch and almost forgot again what his mission was.

Almost.

Stealthily, the small teen tried the strings of control that Yami had over the 'game piece' only to find himself blocked.

_Yami! That isn't fair!_

_**Aibou, I told you that I didn't need nearly as much concentration as you do, yet you still try?**_ Yami tsk'ed. Pouting, Yugi looked away stubbornly. At this, Yami stopped his ministrations. _**Yugi, Aibou, look at me.**_

Reluctantly, Yugi obeyed.

_**I do not mean to insult you. I am only trying to make sure that you keep the title of King of Games and not lose, be it accident or threat. I know how hard you've worked for this; I just don't want you disappointed. If I lose a game, you know it wasn't your fault…but if you were to lose one, I know it would break you.**_

_I'm not as fragile as you think, Mou Hitori no Boku! I can take care of myself! Really! I don't need help to defeat challengers or even my __friends__ for that matter! If I think I'm about to lose, I can call you out, but I am really good at games! What makes me mad is that __you__ don't see it._

_**But I do, Aibou.**_

_You sure don't show that you do._

… _**I only do that because I want to feel needed. **_Yami said quietly.

_What?_ Yugi's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. His dark thought he wasn't needed? Wasn't useful? Was… worthless?

_No!_

_**Aibou?**_

_Don't you dare think about yourself that way! I need you more than you could ever imagine!_

_**But… you were just saying that you didn't need me to help you anymore…**_ Yami said, confused.

_That's not the only thing you're useful for, Yami! I need you here for __me__! Call me selfish if you want, but I __need__ you here! With me! You're not allowed to leave! Ever!_

… _**Aibou…**_ Yami stared at his light with awe. His hikari still needed him? Even though the other was the King of Games? He felt so happy. He hadn't liked the fact Yugi was growing up, leaving him to feel more and more useless, but to think Yugi still wanted him?

Before he could stop himself, Yami enveloped his little one in a tight hug, unwilling to let this moment pass. Yugi patted his dark half on the back. At least he knew why Yami was being so arrogant and protective of him lately.

_It's okay Yami, I'm not going to leave you or make you go away. You know I love you too much for that._

_**I know Aibou, it's just…**_ Yami got real quiet after that. After a few moments of silence, Yugi urged him on.

_Just what, Mou Hitori no Boku?_

… _**How much do you love me?**_ Yami purred. Blushing heavily, Yugi knew exactly where this was leading. Due to not only the suggestive wording, but also the growing bulge in the other's pants. _**We never finished, you know.**_

_I know, I know._ Yugi sighed, relaxing his grip a bit to let his dark half move. And move he did.

The ex-pharaoh trailed his lips down the pale torso of his lover, taking pleasure in the small gasps and moans the fell from those pale rosy lips. Soon, he got down to the edge of the simple white pants that guarded his hikari's treasure trove. The body underneath him squirmed impatiently.

_Y-Yami, please!_

Yami chuckled at his Hikari's impatience before deciding to show mercy on the other. Swiftly, the pants slid down pale thighs, uncovering Yami's reward. Hearing Yugi's breath hitch, Yami's smirk widened before he engulfed the smaller's hard length as far as his throat would allow.

Which was pretty far, if you asked Yugi.

Yugi let out a pleasured scream, trying to buck upwards as he did, but Yami restrained him. Holding his light's hips down, the dark teen bobbed his head up and down, tongue running over the underside of the other's cock before swirling to the top. Cry after cry of ecstasy fell from Yugi's lips, never-ending praise for his Yami to hear. Yami felt Yugi tensing under him and so decided to stop before it was all over.

Crying out in frustration, Yugi tried to buck up again, But Yami had removed his mouth.

_**Ah, ah, ah, little one. Wouldn't you rather finish this together? **_Yami asked, a smug grin on his face.

Blinking rapidly and trying to clear his head enough to pay attention, Yugi reached out his hands, fumbling with a drawer next to the bed. Quickly, he pulled out a bottle of lube but stopped Yami from taking it.

_I want t-to…_

_**Then go ahead.**_ Yami said, sitting back on his legs. Squirming slightly, Yugi managed to wiggle out from under Yami enough to reach his crotch. Fiddling with the tight leather pants, Yugi finally released the straining erection with lust evident in his violet eyes. Concentrating on not just pushing his dark down and doing the work himself, Yugi squeezed some lube onto his hand and quickly lathered the other's cock, enjoying the moans of pleasure that escaped his dark's lips.

Finally, Yami had had enough.

_**Aibou…**_ the ex-pharaoh moaned, shoving Yugi back onto the bed. Of course, Yugi was completely fine with this, eager even!

_Yami…_ Yugi moaned as his dark quickly coated three fingers with lube and slid one in. feeling it inside of him, Yugi moaned at the thoughts of what was to come. Another finger slid in and then another, making the light hissed with the slight sting. It wasn't as bad as when they had first down this, but it still hurt a little, _Yami! H-hurry!_

_**Getting excited are we, Aibou?**_ Yami chuckled at the cute frustrated look on his love's face. Deliberately, Yami ran a finger along his love's erection, catching a few drops of pre-cum.

_Yami, please!_ Yugi gasped out, bucking up against the hand, just as he tried to push back on the fingers.

_**As you wish.**_ Yami grunted, trying to keep a hold of himself. Sliding his fingers out, Yami replaced them with his cock before Yugi could feel the emptiness that he always said he hated.

_Ah! Yami!_ Yugi cried out, clutching at his dark. Leaning forward, Yami let Yugi's death grip surround his shoulder, nails digging into his skin. Restraining himself, the dark teen tried to let his light adjust… until he felt a light nip and silky tongue run along his neck. He shivered in need as the lips trailed up to his ear. With a light nip, his Aibou asked, _are you going to move?_

_**Oh Ra yes!**_ That was the only warning Yugi got before his lover pulled out and thrust back in, hitting his prostate in one try. Hard not too when he'd had so much practice. Locking his legs around his dark's hips, Yugi thrust back, desiring that shock of pleasure that ran up his spine every time that Yami shoved back in.

_F-faster! H-harder!_ Yugi pleaded, his nails scratching light red trails on his dark's back. This pain only added to the ex-pharaoh's pleasure as his thrusts grew more erratic and he felt his end coming. Panting, Yami slipped his hand between their two sweating bodies to pump his light's dripping erection. In no time at all, he felt his little one tense beneath him before his Aibou came with a cry, _ YAMI!_

_**YUGI!**_ Yami choked out as the silken walls around him tightened unbearably and he released his seed deep inside of his lover, filling his light to the brim. The dark teen pulled out shakily before both collapsed, panting, onto the bed. Everything was comfortably quiet as they enjoyed their afterglow before Yugi shot up.

_Oh my gosh-Joey! He's still waiting for one of us to make a move!_

… _**Actually Aibou, remember when I told you I didn't need as much concentration as you?**_

_Yeah, why?_

_**The entire time we were doing this, I was playing out the card game.**_

_WHAT?_

_**Well, with the lesser part of my mind. It's not like there was any friendly banter going back and forth or anything.**_

_But then… what happened?_

_**Well…**_

"Geez! I can't believe I lost again! How can you still be betta den me if one of yous is tryin' to take ova'?" Joey asked Yugi/Yami/whoever it was. When no answer was forthcoming, he blinked in confusion. "Yams? Yug'?"

"Sorry, Joey. It took a lot to win." Yugi said.

"So you won?"

"No, but I got Yami to let me play games with you guys again!" Yugi cheered.

"Really? Dat's awesome! How'd ya do it?" Joey asked. Blushing brightly, Yugi looked away.

"Um… it's a… secret?"

"No fair! It's always a secret 'tween you two!" Joey pouted.

"Never mind, how about another game?"

"I'll take you up on that offer." A deep voice interrupted them.

"Eaves-droppin' is unbecomin', Kaiba." Joey said, trying to sound smart.

"Yes, and so is being a mutt, but that doesn't seem to stop you." Kaiba spat back.

"Hey! Take that back!" Both Yugi and Joey ordered him.

"Maybe I will, if Yugi beats me in a card game."

"I'll definitely win!" Yugi said determinedly before he suddenly found himself outside of his body again. _Yami!_

_**Don't worry, Aibou.**_

_Yami, I can win! You don't need to do this for me!_

_**That wasn't what I was talking about this time, Aibou.**_

_What?_

_**I meant, don't worry, this time I brought the chains!**_

Face reddening, Yugi prepared himself for another interesting 'duel'.

Phantomworks: hah! That was fun.

**Alice: weak ending.**

Phantomworks: but I had to get that in there. It was too funny not too.

**Alice; whatever.**

Phantomworks; please review!


	2. I missed!

Phantomworks: hey people! sorry that's its taking so long for the stories!

**Alice: they came to a tie.**

Phantomworks; yeah, so I'm resetting the poll with the two tied because they're both long stories.

**Alice: then she'll end the poll on 10/5… maybe.**

Phantomworks; my birthday!

**Alice; and work on which ever is the winner.**

Phantomworks: so please vote immediately after this fic! I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

I missed

The sun rises early and so do I. Blinking my eyes open, I untuck my head from under my wing and shake my feathers loose. Cool winds blew softly through the trees and I shiver, fluffing my feathers out against the cold. Thank goodness it was getting closer to spring! I don't know how much longer I could've survived with little food! Good thing that wizard kept throwing out a lot of seeds.

The wizards… for some reason, most forest creatures are scared of the two wizards that live in the forest, but not me! They're actually really kind- well, one is.

There is a difference between the two humans. Normally, I don't see differences between humans, but with these two, I do. One has bright red eyes and strange hair that looks like those lights that crash during storms (A/N: lightning). He's the one that throws out the seed for us birds even though very few of us come to eat. Also, of the two, he's the one I like.

The other one scared me. He has plain hair (at least, I think he does) and ice blue eyes. Reminds me of the cold months of winter (shiver). Anyways, he's the one that all forest animals fear. Wizards like him are unpredictable when it comes to subjects for experimenting. Thank goodness I haven't seen him when I go for meals.

I wonder where he went…

Oh well, no shine off my beak. Enough of these annoying thoughts! Food awaits! Flexing my off-white appendages, I take to the skies.

How I _love_ flying! It's the best part of being a bird! Who would want to be a land creature when you can _fly_? Ah, I just love it!

Suddenly, I catch the scent of food and my searching flight pattern takes a nose-dive at a very familiar clearing.

Landing, I start to peck through the snow, trying to find the elusive seeds that the kind wizard throws out every morning. Finding some, I content myself with picking them up with my beak and swallowing them whole. While doing this, my attention is drawn towards the kind wizard who is yelling at a blue-jay.

Strange.

Normally, the kind wizard only ever yells at the cold wizard. Even stranger still is that the kind wizard _never_ comes out during 'feeding' time. I think he doesn't want to scare the other birds, but here he is, doing both. What could have made him angry enough to yell at a simple arrogant blue-jay?

Then that very bird does something that makes me freeze in place.

It talked back to the human.

Not in the bird speech that consists of songs and chirps, but in the garbled human speech that only the species and mocking birds should be capable of! Something definitely wasn't right here.

Just as I decided this, the kind wizard growled and snatched the blue-jay up, ignoring its squawks and struggles and disappears into his nest.

Do my eyes deceive me!

The kind wizard just spirited the poor blue-jay away!

And here I thought he was nice! That's beside the point! I have to help that blue-jay! I can't let something awful happen to a friend! Even though we've never actually talked…but still!

Determined, I shot off, zipping in through the open window. Quickly, I hid behind a pile of books, looking to see where the wizard was.

"Now, Seto, I'm only trying to help!" I hear him say gently, deceivingly so.

"If you were 'helping', I wouldn't be TIED DOWN now would I?" the blue-jay squawks back. I never did like their sons. They always sounded a bit off-key.

"Seto, you're a bird. Survival instincts will over-power you and before you know it, you'll be half-way to the capital." The kind wizard sounded sad. If I knew what he was saying, I might've sympathized. But being as I have no clue, I pretty much ignore him in favor of figuring out a way to get to the blue jay and free him from the leather straps tying him down without getting caught myself. Hmm… I wonder I my talons are sharp enough…

"I know." The blue-jay snaps before grumbling a bit. Finally he says, "Just get it over with."

The kind wizard nods and stands in a magic circle, using a silent spell to make a book hover close enough for him to read. That's it! Once he starts the spell, he has to finish it to the end or else something bad happens! While he's doing that, I'll free Mr. Blue-jay!

Waiting for the wizard to start his spell-weaving, I prepare to leap into action.

"Bestius, Animaeus…" his deep voice sounded the start of my rescue plan. Flying into action, I shot to the blue-jay who cocked his head towards me in surprise.

"What are you doing?" he squawks in disbelief. Working quickly, I raked my talons over his bindings, trying desperately to free him before the wizard finishes his spell. "Hey! Stop! What do you think you're up to?"

"Saving your life!" I chirp in response. The wizard's words were flying quickly from his mouth as if he was trying to finish before I could free my bird brethren. Looking up at him and seeing his furious crimson eyes on me, I would say my guess was correct.

"Stay out of this, mourning dove! It has nothing to do with you!" Mr. Blue-jay hissed even though his, too, struggled against the bindings.

"Yes. It. Does!" I snapped the final binding, releasing my feathered friend. Instantly, he was in the air, out of the line of fire. So proud of myself, I forgot one measly little fact…

The wizard now had his aim on me.

"Raeplacus Humaenius!" he shouted as a bolt of light shot forward from his finger tips.

Right at me.

I let out an ear-splitting cry of distress as I was hit head on. My whole body felt like it burst into flames! My chest exploded outward while my beak jerked back, collapsing into my head. As if that wasn't enough, my wings decided to dislocate themselves and my legs snapped forwards under the blow.

That's right, _forwards_!

Legs aren't supposed to bend that way!

Lucky for me, the pain was so much that I fell unconscious in two chirps flat (A/N: chirps=seconds). When I finally came to, my blurry vision slowly rearranged the dominantly red images into something I could see. What I saw nearly made my heart stop.

Crimson eyes stared down at me worriedly as the wizard slowly reached down for me. It almost looked like he was moving in slow motion as my mind screamed at me to do one thing and one thing only-

FLY!

With that, I was gone. I didn't care if I left the blue-jay there alone or if the wizard was disappointed I was still alive. Holly-leaves, I didn't even care that I hadn't gotten a full meal! All I cared about was getting back to my nest and wishing this bad dream away!

~back at the wizard's cabin~

"You do realize you'll have to go after him, right, Yami?" the blue-jay asked as he settled on his cousin's shoulder.

That's right, cousin.

This is what he got for being overly confident in his transmogrification spells. Now he had to rely on freaking Yami Sennen to change him back! As if he didn't have enough to worry about in life!

"Well, it won't be that hard, Seto. What bird looks half like it's supposed to and half like a human?" Yami asked as he continued to stare out the window after the beautiful monster he had created.

The spell was initially meant to turn Seto back into a human, but something went wrong when it hit the mourning dove. Instead of turning fully human, it turned into a tiny, mini-look-alike of himself (with a few differences) with its original wings still in place. So now, instead of being fully human or fully bird, the dove was…

"An angel." Yami sighed. The bird on his shoulder cocked his head to the side.

"Yami. Earth to Yami. Are you okay?" the bird pecked his forehead. Startled back into awareness, the wizard pulled back, rubbing his read forehead.

"Ouch! Seto! What's the deal!"

"You were daydreaming again."

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you rather I whip up another potion like earlier and let that spell hit _you_?" the red-eyed wizard snapped. Remembering the cries of pain from the other bird, the blue-jay gulped and fell silent.

After a moment, the wizard stretched and walked back to his desk. "Oh well, time to find another spell. I'll need all the help I can get to find that bird."

"And _why_ am I going to help you? Once I'm human, I'm out of here."

"You seem to forget who is helping you in all this. Would you rather I go find that bird now?" Red eyes glared at the blue-jay.

"I apologize oh great wizard Yami." Seto felt like washing his mouth… er… beak out with soap.

"That's what I thought."

Phantomworks: okay everyone! That's it! please review and remember to vote!

**Alice: it's down to Broken, Bloody Fur, and Enchanted Sea.**

Phantomworks: so vote now! Thank you!


	3. Scent

Phantomworks; hey people! I finished this one just so that I could post the winner of the tie breaker.

**Alice: so if you want to skip the story, go ahead. But you'll miss out on a good lemon.**

Phantomworks: anyway, I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

Scent

First off, I'd like to say one thing and one thing only.

'I. Am. A. GUY!'

A manly guy, even if I'm gay. Now, that doesn't mean I don't like to do somethings like, say, go to the perfume counter and spray a whole bunch of stuff into the air just to see the way it smells. It isn't just girls who do it!

The first time I did it, my friend Mai came over saying, "Yugi-honey, there's a specific way you're supposed to spray these, dear. Here, let me show you."

With that, she had sprayed some onto my wrist and rubbed my other one against it. Confused, I obviously asked why she was doing it. She had answered that the oils smell different on each person and so they must be sprayed and rubbed in to get the full effect.

So I went along with it.

Turns out she was right. By the end of that day, the perfume did smell different, but I think I liked it better. Yami didn't really like it, but he didn't _dis_like it either.

"You are your own person, Aibou. I will not tell you what to do or not to do." He said.

And that's how I found myself at the perfume counter again, trying more. Once a week, ever week, I go back to find a different smell since I figured the scent stays for a couple days. Mai always helps me so it comes to no surprise when she calls me the day before my 'scheduled' perfume sample to tell me about the 'awesome, new perfume that _everyone __**loves**_!'

Needless to say, I had to check it out.

It doesn't take long for me to walk down to the Domino mall where Mai works. Even less time is used to find my blonde haired friend. She really stands out in a crowd.

"Hey, Yugi!" she calls out, waving me over.

"Good morning, Mai. It's nice to see you again!" I say as I make my way over to her. Her last customer left as soon as she got her purchase, leaving the two of us alone.

"I'm so glad you're here, Yugi! We just got a batch of the new perfume in and I just _had_ to tell someone about it!" Mai gushed as she rustled through some stuff behind the desk. Standing on my toes. I tried to see what she was going through, but I couldn't quite peer over enough to see. (1)

Curse my shortness and super high edged counters!

"Ah! Here we go!" she cheered triumphantly, raising a stack of white cards up enough for me to see.

"What are those?" I asked, curious.

"These are sample cards. Since this is a new scent, we set out sample cards with a spray of the perfume on it and its name to see how well people like it." she explained, untwisting the rubber band from the stack.

"Oh, I see." I commented, waiting patiently for her to win her battle against the rubber band. Finally, she freed the cards and handed one to me.

'Black Diamond' the card said and I had a fleeting thought that that would be a cool duel monster card if it was a dragon. Bringing the card up to my nose, I gave a hesitant sniff.

Now don't get me wrong. Mai is great with fashion from shirts to shoes and perfumes, but the scents she chooses are always a bit too noticeable for me. I like my scents more toned down and it's taken her a while, but she's toned down her choices for me as well. So imagine my surprise when I take a whiff and smell…

Absolutely. Nothing.

"I think you've toned it down too much." I said, handing the card back.

"What do you mean?" she questioned, looking confused.

"I can't smell it at all!" I exclaimed.

"That can't be." She pouts, looking slightly put out. "Here, why don't I spray some on you? That way, you might be able to smell it away from the counter. The other perfumes could be messing with your nose."

I wanted to protest and say that nothing was wrong with my nose, that _hers_ was off, but I had come all this way and wanted _something_ out of it. Even if I couldn't smell it. So I allowed her to virtually drench me in the perfume that she insisted smelled good.

Coughing, I stumbled out of the cloud of spray and waved her a quick good-bye.

"Bye Yugi!" she called after me.

I was so glad to be out of there that I almost missed the crowd of people watching me leave, almost. It felt like the first day of high school all over again as I felt those stares follow me out of the store.

What? Did they never see a guy at the perfume store before? Sheesh! Talk about rude!

Once safely outside the store, I began the short trek back home. Or, at least, it was _supposed_ to be. Everyone on the street stopped to stare at me, some gawking and others throwing lust-filled looks at me. What was with everyone today?

"Hey, mister?" a ten-year old stopped me.

"Yes?" I answered, reaching out to ruffle his short hair. His small hand caught mine before I could mess up his style and tugged it down to his nose.

"You smell good." He said.

Blanching, I yanked my hand back with a confused, "Um… thank you?"

"Can I be your boyfriend?" the kid asked innocently.

"What the-? NO! I already have one!" I screamed, backing up.

"That's right, kid, so scram." A very tough voice behind me said.

Oh please no…

Turning around, I was met with the sight of a punkish looking red-head with bulging muscles. Maybe punkish wasn't the right word. He was more of the gangster type and I swear there was blood on his fingers.

Oh wait. That's paint.

"Now that the kid's gone away, let's go somewhere and _play_." He said, reaching for me.

"IN YOUR DREAMS!" I screeched before taking off.

Just like that, everyone was after me. Guys and girls alike –even children! Why was this happening? What did I do to deserve this?

Spying a familiar store front, I dove at it, slamming the door shut behind me and locking it. We were definitely closing early today.

"Aibou? Is that you?" my dark half called out, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Yami, it's me. I'm fine. I just decided to slam and lock the door for no reason." I called back, making my way through the store to the house portion of the game shop. Grandpa was on another expedition, so I didn't have to worry about him acting weird.

"No reason?" he asked.

"Crazy stalker fans." I reiterated, walking to the back entrance and locking it too.

"No reason." He chuckled and I heard footsteps on the stairs. Suddenly, they stopped. "Aibou, what's that smell?"

"Mai gave me a new perfume sample called Black Diamond and by gave, I mean showered me in its spray. I can't even smell it! Why? Does it stink?" I asked, sniffing at my clothes. Nope, still couldn't smell it.

"No, not bad. In fact," I squeaked when his arms wrapped around my waist, "You smell goo. _Really_ good. I could just eat. You. Up."

I squeaked again, blushing a brilliant red. "Y-Yami? Are you f-feeling okay?"

"Yes, Aibou. Why do you ask?" he murmurs against my skin, causing heat to sneak its way into my flesh. He ran his nose across the back of my neck, inhaling as he did.

"N-no reason, j-just that everyone I p-passed on the way h-home s-started acting weird." I stammered my way through an explanation as his skilled fingers unzipped my jacket/vest and slid up my black t-shirt. "Th-they kept c-coming onto me, even k-kids…"

"Hmm… is that so?" he bit my neck gently before laving it with his tongue soothingly. "But you didn't allow any of them to touch you, right?"

"O-Only a k-kid, b-but that was bef-fore I knew!" I justified.

"What did he look like?" Yami asked, his voice dark even as his hands went through the motions of ridding me of my vest, then shirt.

"Y-Yami, please! H-he didn't d-do anything!" I whimpered as his hands trailed teasingly close to where I desperately needed them. "Mou Hitori no Boku~!"

"Mmm… I love it when you call me that. Fine, I'll concede this time." He relented. His hands slid down further to unbutton my pants, "What did you say the name of this perfume was again?"

"B-black… Diamond, why?" I answered, panting.

"No reason." He replied, running his tongue up from my collar bone to my jaw as his one hand sank below my waistband.

"Nya~aaaaaah!" I moaned, my head falling back onto his shoulder.

"Say, Yugi, how long do you think this perfume will last?" man, he's sure talkative tonight!

"I-I don't know… m-most of it w-went on my clothes… but o-on my s-skin… th-three days? M-maybe f-four?" my thoughts grew hazy as I responded to his touch.

"Ah, so you'll be staying inside during those days."

"?" I tilted my head to look at him.

"I can't have you going out in public only to be rape, now could I? What kind of boyfriend would I be? No, you're staying inside until the perfume wears off. But don't worry. I'm sure I can think of _something_ for us to do." He smirked. That look sent tingles down my spine and I let out a quiet moan. His hands grasped my rock-hard cock firmly before pumping it a bit.

"Y-Yami!" I squeaked out a choked moan.

"Mmm… Yugi." He hummed against my skin, biting at my earlobe. Suddenly, he turned me around and pushed me backwards. Squealing, I shot him an embarrassed and surprised look when I landed on something soft. When had we moved closer to the couch? Or even the living room?

Such questions immediately left my mind as he yanked my pants and boxers off. Skilled hands once again gripped my manhood, but this time, one trailed lower to prod at my hole. Now, I'm nowhere near a virgin, but I still get a bit squeamish about this part.

"J-just h-hurry. Please!" I urge him. He complies and a single digit slips in. Squirming a bit, I try to get comfortable as it wiggles in me, trying to loosen me up. His other hand distracts me from most of the pain as another two fingers push in, still stretching me. Then they're gone and I look up into his eyes.

Glazed maroon connect with mine and I simply stare for a second, relishing the fact that this handsome devil (2) is mine. Then I nodded and he slowly pushed in. Biting my lip so as not to scream, I tried to force myself to relax and eventually did as he slid in fully. Motion stopped for a few seconds, allowing me to breathe and adjust. Rolling my hips, I signaled that I was ready.

I shivered as he pulled out and slowly pushed back in. Shifting a bit, I found a position that hurt much less and maybe, just maybe… if he moved just a bit furth-

"KYAAAAH!" I cried out as he struck the spot dead on, much harder than his previous thrusts. Smirking, his pace picked up as he plowed into me, causing me to twist and squirm under him in need. Moans poured out of my mouth, so much that they were the only thing I could hear other than our labored breaths and my erratic heartbeat. A coil of fire wound in my stomach, made worse with each pound and plunge of his hips. It constricted tighter as his hand dropped down to my cock and pumped out of time with the thrusts.

"Aaaha! YAMI!" I screamed as he thrust into me one more time before I came hard. My vision went white. I could still feel his body moving, creating sparks of pleasure throughout my own before he too came, spilling deep inside of me. He managed to stay up on his arms for about five seconds before he fell forwards onto me. I let out a surprised 'oof!' before simply letting him lay on me. Too tired.

"Yami. You're heavy." I said after a few minutes.

"Sorry, Yugi. But you just smell so good." He commented. He sat up, but didn't pull out.

"Yami?"

"Hmm?" he smirked down at me and I squirmed a bit. That squirming brought something else to my attention.

"Y-Yami! Y-you're-!"

"Did I mention that you smell _really_ good?" he asked, leaning down closer.

"N-no, Yami! I'm too t-tired!" I protested. Yet even as I spoke those words, I felt myself getting hard again. "Oh fine. But this is the last time tonight!"

"Mm-hmm. We'll see." He evaded but before I could protest again, his lips seal over mine and my mind drifts off into a sweet abyss. Later I'd get mad at him for his rough treatment, only to start running from him when he pulls out a familiar dark blue bottle with a black sticker label on it reading.

'Black Diamond _Pleasures_.'

Yugi isn't really that short. It's one of those counters that makes a desk cover then has that alcove underneath it. Just so you know.

I know, old phrase. I just had to draw a parallel from the Angels' Mistake.

Phantomworks: okay, weird, I know. But I went to the store the other day and the same thing happened to me, except I didn't wear it.

**Alice: it also could've smelled horrible instead of alluring.**

Phantomworks: yes, something I don't want to risk.

**Alice: well, Yugi risked it and look what happened.**

Phantomworks; yeah. Still don't want to risk it. Anyway, the winner of the tie breaker was 'Enchanted Sea' which I'll start writing once I'm finished with Yami's journal.

**Alice: what's taking so long?**

Phantomworks; well, there's like six chapter and a separate lemon that goes with each, so it's taking longer than I thought.

**Alice: well hurry up!**

Phantomworks; I am, I am!


	4. I missed 2

Phantomworks; hey everyone, sorry I haven't been working on much lately.

**Alice: she's had trouble getting away from her parents.**

Phantomworks; yeah, but I'm working on it! I'll try to update when I can! I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

Chapter 2

When I woke up the next morning, I was horrified to find that what I had hoped was a nightmare had actually happened! My feathers were completely burned off except for on my wings, still allowing me to fly and my body was extremely different. Whatever the wizard did to me; my body no longer acted like it should.

When I tried to fly, it felt like there was dead weight attached to me and when trying to land, my legs crumbled underneath me. Not only that, but my beak had basically disintegrated, making it hard for me to pick up bugs and seeds. Even when I _did_ get them in my mouth, I couldn't swallow them like before. Only small things would fit down my throat. Nothing was working the way it should.

How was I supposed to live like this!

And I couldn't even go out in public!

All the other birds would go quiet when I came near and sometimes they would fly away. How was I supposed to attract a mat during season if they avoided me like the plague? Scratch that, how was I supposed to even _survive_ until season?

With my mind plagued with such thoughts, I weakly beat my wings, hoping against hope that I would manage to get into my vaguely warm nest. Since I had no feathers, the winter was especially harsh. Was the air _always_ this cold when I flew?

Suddenly, a snap behind me shook me out of my thoughts. Listening to my instincts, I shot forward. Better to run from the wind than sit for a predator, as the saying goes (A/N: better safe than sorry). Even as my waning strength pushed my wings forward, I looked back at my pursuer. Imagine my surprise when I saw the Crimson-eyed wizard appear from the bushes and give chase.

"Seto! I found him! Hand me the gun!" he shouted over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off of me.

Now, I don't know many human words, but I do know what 'Gun' means.

'Gun' means trouble, even death if past experiences are any proof. There was no way I was letting him get a clear shot on me that easily! Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

"Quickly!" the other wizard shoved the human contraption into waiting hands. Briefly, I wondered when he had returned before I dove through some shrubbery and deeper into the forest. "Blast! He got away!"

"Not if I can help it!"

Breathing was becoming harder and harder as I shot through my forest home, dodging trees and the like. As my vision began to blur (a first), I started to wonder if giving up would be all that bad. There's no way I would've been able to survive much longer than two days. What's the difference between giving up them and now?

Then I heard the gunshot.

Something caught me and pinned me halfway on the ground and halfway onto the nearest tree. It looked like criss-crossed vines (A/N: netting) and the more I struggled against it, the more I got entangled. Trying to call out for help, I realized that my voice had changed as well. I could no longer reach the decimals that I could before and most likely never would again.

Again, the wizard appeared from the bushes. This should have made me start my struggling anew, but I'm just so tired. Too tired to care anymore.

As the wizard looms over me, I look up pleadingly, silently asking him to make it quick. Despite his calm, steadied hand reaching down, I flinch back. Yet before it even makes contact, my vision goes black.

_outside of dreamland_

"Poor thing." Yami cooed as he gently picked up the small frighteningly could body. The captured 'Angel' fit in the palm of his two hands, slightly bigger than the average mourning dove. However, unlike its earlier pre-spell form, this creature looked devastatingly thin and was shivering to the bone, even unconscious. "Poor, poor angel."

"So put it out of its misery." A hot-headed wizard snapped. Yes, _wizard_. It had taken a day or two, but they had found the original spell and wove it backwards and- here he is! Good as new, except for a few side effects like the sudden liking of grains.

Crimson eyes shot him a warning glare and Seto shut his mouth with a click. Turning his gaze downward onto the poor creature, Yami made a snap decision, "I'm going to keep it!"

"W-what?" Seto blanched, "That's not how it goes, Yami! It's against the rules! If a wizard makes a mistake-!"

"It is his duty to take care of it." Yami finished, "I am doing exactly that. If you don't like it, tough. You have your own house to live in!"

While he spoke, the crimson-eyed wizard carefully untangled the limp angel from the netting, freeing gray-mottled wings. Untying his empty leather herbs bag, Yami shed his wool gloved in favor of lining the thin bag with something warm before placing the angel in the make shift nest. Clutching the bag to his chest, Yami watched in fascination as, ever so slowly, the shivers that racked the small body subsided.

"How are you going to take care of it? You don't even know what it eats!" Seto said indignantly.

"Of course I do. It eats what humans eat." Yami said matter-of-factly.

Sighing in defeat, Seto shook his head, "If the council finds out about this, you'll be in so much trouble."

"And if the council finds out that you had turned yourself into a bird and needed to go to another wizard for help, you'll be in trouble as well." Yami countered.

"Touché."

With that ending the conversation, Yami returned his attention to the sleeping angel on his hands. Porcelain skin nearly became invisible against light gray wings. The wings themselves were at least as long as the angel was high, as per usual to the laws of physics. Raven black hair stood straight and blond bangs fell wildly around a cherubic face. No blond streaks went up through the black, though so that was one difference. The other was the eyes that he had seen before it went unconscious.

They were pure black.

Yami wondered briefly if that was because the bird's eyes were originally beady black, but put it off for later investigation since his home had come into view, "We're here little one. I'll take care of you from here on out."

Phantomworks; sorry that it's so short! But I'll update again soon! Please review!


	5. Friday Night

Phantomworks; I couldn't help myself.

**Alice; just get on with the fic.**

Phantomworks; this is an old one that I thought up a while ago. Have fun! I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

Friday nights

"Bye Yug'!" Joey called after me as we parted ways.

"Bye!" I threw over my shoulder as I turned to head home. Today was Friday and for the first time in several weeks, I was alone. A month or two before now, I would've bagged to have _any_ one over to take up my lacking social life, but ever since I solved the puzzle, my life has drastically changed. Where before I had no friends except Tea's occasional presence, I now had two (four if you count Tea and Miho) in total that seemed to spend the night at my house every weekend. Well, my house or Tristan's.

Now that I think about it, I've never gone to Joey's house…

Oh well. I'll ask him about it later.

Now where was I? Oh right, my social life rant.

Ever since my life was taken up with friends and fun activities like beating Kaiba for the fourth time this week, I've had less time to spend with myself and do… things.

Certain things…

Like working off some sexual frustration that Tea always seems to bring with her around me.

Man, I need to see my friend.

Meaning my hand.

Opening the game shop's door, I sent my Grampa a quick hello before racing up the stairs to my bedroom. Closing the door quietly, I dropped my book bag to the floor and crawled onto my bed. Every week, I used to do this before my time slots filled up with homework and stuff with my friends. It's been so long, I almost have the same jitters that I got the first time I did this.

Almost.

Dragging my pants off my hips and down my legs, I make myself comfortable before remembering to take off the necklace. Wouldn't want it getting dirty, now would I? Placing it on the desk near my bed, I shivered a bit when the Eye seemed to look at me, watching me carefully.

Of course, that's just my imagination. It's an inanimate object, not a person! Shaking such thoughts from my head, I settled back down, propping myself up against the wall that my bed was against. Shaking a bit at the thoughts of the pleasure to come, I let my hands grip my semi-hard cock lightly. Summoning up some images, I slowly started to pump myself up and down.

Thoughts of Tea filled my mind (A/N: sorry, this will be puzzleshipping, but Yugi has to phase out of his first crush first.) and my hands pumped faster, taking longer strokes and tensing and relaxing my grip gave me shivers as pleasure raced up my spine. I was so caught up with myself that I almost missed one of my hands falling lower than it was supposed to.

Almost.

Coming back to my mind in order to shift it up higher again, I continued with what I was doing before. Pleasure washed over me in waves and my hot erection throbbed in my hands.

Again, my hand dropped lower.

Growling, I tried to yank it back up, only succeeding halfway. What was going on? Why was my hand suddenly taking on a life of its own? Opening my eyes, I glared down at it. It was shaking with the force I was using to keep it from moving.

Then my other hand did something different, a twist or something and my mind was all for trying to do it again. Thinking that just letting my hand do what it wanted until after I was done and could get help was a good idea, I focused my mind back onto my other hand and the pleasure that it was creating at a simple touch. Somehow, it almost seemed bigger the way it covered more of my length than I remembered.

Maybe I just grew in the past few months (finally!).

Centering my mind on the pleasure turned out to be a bad thing, I figured out as the rebel hand dipped lower and shoved a finger into my hole.

What the ****?

My eyes shot open and I grit my teeth at the weird feeling. Determinedly, I struggled to get my hand to stop it weird and somewhat frightful actions. I mean, I didn't want to stick it up there, so why was it doing it on its own? Failing completely at removing the finger (now two), I relinquished my hold on my aching cock to go for my other hand. The rebel jerked suddenly, pulling my forward and rocking me onto my knees.

"Ow!" I cursed, wincing at the pain that the blow caused when the digits sank deeper. Lacing my fingers around the revolter, I was about to tug it out when the long fingers stretch, reaching deeper inside until they curled and brushed against something deep inside me. Pleasure stabbed through me and I gasped, eyes going wide as my vision turned fuzzy a bit.

What.

Was.

_That_?

Taking a shuddering breath, I suddenly regained control of my hand which I then took advantage of. Instead of taking it away like I had planned before, I shifted it in deeper, reaching again for that spot. Where was it? Where was it? Why couldn't I find it again?

Curling in on myself, I struggled to reach it again. Did my fingers suddenly shrink? Cause I'm sure that I should've reached it by now-!

"Ah!" I gasped, shoving back onto my fingers. There it was! Just out of reach, but if I rocked back on my fingers, I was just able to brush the edge. This brought another wave of pleasure through my system. Trying to find a good way to get pleasure everything I rocked, I wrapped my other hand around my cock.

No longer did thoughts of Tea cloud my mind. Instead, I was wholly focused on pumping my length and hitting that spot. Soon, pre-cum leaked from my erection, but I couldn't seem to find enough of anything to put me over the edge. Maybe… maybe if I could just hit that spot dead on…

"Come on… come on…" I chanted, breath coming out in pants. Just as I thought that I'd give up, my hand suddenly surged forward, striking that spot like a bull's eye. My muffled cry flew into the blankets as I came hard onto the sheets. My vision blackened as pleasure and release thrummed through my system, bringing a high one could only get through masturbation (at least, I think so. Sex might work too…).

Turning my head so that I could breath, I saw a flash behind my closed eyes. Briefly, I wondered when I had closed them, but decided I didn't care and opened my eyes.

The Millennium Puzzle 'stared' at me from the desk, making me blush. I had forgotten about it completely. I'm so glad that I made sure to lock my door because if anyone had seen me like that, it'd be really awkward.

After calming down, I pulled my fingers out of my hole and stared at my hand. Why had it acted on its own? Was I contracting some sort of mental disease? A neural one? Was it life-threatening? I had control back, but for how long?

Deciding that if my hand acted up again, I'd asked Grampa about it, I picked myself up and headed towards the bathroom. No matter how much pleasure came from… _that_ end, it still made my hand a mess and I needed to wash it off immediately, not to mention the semen sticking to parts of my legs.

Speaking of which…

Quickly turning around, I undid my sheets and dropped them into my hamper before showering. Replaying my recent… session, I shivered at the memory of the pleasure _that_ particular spot created. I'd definitely be using it again next time, but I wonder what it was…

Guess I'll have to do some research…

Phantomworks; okay, this was weird and awkward, I know, but it was an idea form when I first started out.

**Alice: it was okay.**

Phantomworks; there's two more that come after this, but I probably won't post them immediately. Please review!


	6. I missed! 3

Phantomworks; okay everyone, I'm updating chapter three before the weekend.

**Alice: and if you're nice and review, she may post another oneshot later.**

Phantomworks; I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic

I missed! Ch 3

"How is my little one today?" a voice woke me up. Shifting my wings to get myself up, I chirped a good morning to Mr. Wizard. For some reason, I figured out that I no longer could stand or sit while asleep. I always fell over. Maybe my balance is off…

"Good, I see. Do you want breakfast, Yugi?" the wizard (Yami, I had found out) asked, just like every morning. As usual, I chirped a reply that could be anything from 'yes' to 'you fuzzbag' and he would smile with no understanding and pour some food in my bowl.

At first when I woke up here, I had been hesitant about eating any of the food he gave me. It could be poisoned after all! But when he ate of it and was just fine, I decided that one bite couldn't hurt!

It was delicious!

'It' being some sort of seed smashed into flakes that broke when I tried to hold them in my mouth. It sure made it easier to get down my throat.

(A/N: cereal and chewing, Yugi learns fast!)

After a few days of this, I relaxed to my captor and decided that he couldn't be all bad if he gave me food and water. Water… I looked to the funny human tool that let water free if you touched it. I had learned early on that it was hard to drink water from puddles anymore so I was open to a different way, but this?

The first time Yami had shown me how it worked, he put his finger to the shiny tube and a drop of water appeared on it. Of course, _why waste water?_ Was my thought while he was explaining the 'physics' behind it like he did with anything else. So I don't get why he froze up and jerked his hand away when I licked the water off his finger. There wasn't even that much!

Apparently, it was enough for him to turn a strange color of red. Up to that point, I hadn't known that humans could change colors like that.

Colors… that's another thing I learned about, as the days wore on. I think Yami was seeing if I'd be able to tell the difference between them when he told me the names, but I never gave him any reason to believe I could. I can though and it amazes me.

Since the spell, I've noticed that I can do more or at least remember more. Before, I knew my bird language and just enough of the universal language to chase birds off of my territory or food. Now I know the human's name for colors and some routine words like breakfast, Yami, and the questions.

The questions are unique, but they are always followed by an 'answer'. I first learned of them when the blue-eyed wizard, Seto, came in with a thing called a commission. It took me several times to get the 'questions', but eventually, I got it.

First, Yami would ask 'what?' and that was followed by a thing or task. Then came 'who?', that was followed by a person's name like lady or boy or something. After that came 'where?' which was followed by a place.

Usually, that question would come after 'When?'. 'When' was a funny one. Like the humans had to have any more control, they named every day. Every. Single. One. They couldn't just let the seasons take care of themselves, no. they had to give specific times for every season to end and every day to end. They did it wrong too! Every day ends in the middle of the night for them! Can you believe it?

Moving on, the question that may or may not pop up is 'why'? I like this one the best since it's followed by a lot of words and stuff, but mostly by 'because'. Mostly I just tune stuff out, but it's fun to listen in on their commissions. It gives me a difference view on the wizards and humans in general.

Lastly, the wizard would ask a question of 'would/should/could we-?' that's a yes or no answer, like when he asks me if I want breakfast. Once I figured that out, I was a lot nicer to him and simply answered instead of calling him names.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Now I feel bad if I do it when he can't understand me. Another thing that's changed. I get these weird… feelings, like when I'm hungry or tired, but I'm not. It's kind of hard to explain and I think they have names, but I don't know them.

Wait, that's not true. I know one.

Embarrassment.

When I finally ate something, I had to… you know… do it. And for some reason, I just couldn't when Yami or Seto was looking so I would hide behind a stack of books that sat right next to my cage (stupid bars) and let it out…

Did you know there are two holes where tuff comes out? Never had the other before. Anyway, everything was going well until Yami decided the books looked better on a ledge across the room. I hadn't been able to go all day and I really needed to. Worse was Yami noticed and wouldn't leave me alone all day. How was I supposed to go now?

My savior came in the unexpected for of Seto.

"Yami, I'm telling you. Animals don't like change! Just put the books back and let him hide behind it! It's not like he never comes out!" a harsh slam shook me as I tried unsuccessfully to land. Next thing I knew, the books were back. Quickly, I relieved my hurting tummy and chirped the cold wizard a thank you which he couldn't understand anyway.

"See? He's better now."

Watching as Yami did this weird thing with his featherless wings around Seto (A/N: hug or flipping him off. Take your pick), I decided that the cold wizard wasn't so bad after all.

Today, I ate my usual breakfast and sat on the large ledge that was about half-way up the cage. This is where I usually sat when I was bored since I figured out I could drop my feet over the side and let them dangle like I used to on any tree branch. For some reason, it felt different than before.

As I prepared to entertain myself with the wizard's daily life, something out of the ordinary happened. Yami had only been sitting at his desk for a short while (I think it was called minutes?) when he suddenly jumped up, book still in hand. His gaze shot from the book to me and the look left me with ants in my stomach.

(A/N: Butterflies anyone?)

The feeling (cause I hadn't had ants in… weeks? Is that the right human word?) Grew worse as he jerked open drawers, pulling out different herbs and concoctions. Then he used a white rock to draw on the floor some sort of symbol that probably was very important if I knew what was going on. Once everything was in place, he turned towards me.

I decided I didn't like the way he looked at me.

"There, there, Yugi. Calm down, there's nothing to be afraid of." He said gently as he unlocked the cage door and reached in for me. No way was I going to let him work some king of experiment on me! Look at what happened last time!

Desperately, I tried to get away, but my escape was halted by the evil metal bars of the cage. I could hear a dull thudding in my ears as the fight instinct took over. Trying to use my talons, I flailed to no end, but he caught me anyway. Pecking at him, I tried to break free, but it was like he was immune to my struggles. Frantically, I beat my wings only to have them caught by his other hand.

Now I was completely helpless.

"You sure put up a nasty fight. Don't worry, I'll get you back to normal soon." His words were a soothing tone but his actions were anything but. He strapped me into the bindings much like I had found Mr. Blue-jay in when I first got caught in this spell. Except, this time, there was no grand rescue planned. I would get the full brunt of the spell.

Why…?

"Don't worry, Yugi. Once this spell is complete, you can go back to your forest and live the life you want." He said cheerfully. I found nothing cheerful about the situation. Acting quickly, Yami hovered the book at his side and proceeded through the spell waving process. Struggling against the bindings, I found I could do nothing to stop him.

As his words echoed in the room, a purple light filled the air and wrapped around his finger tips which were pointed at me. Slowly but surely, the strange light grew stronger with his words until he gave a triumphant cry, sending the magic forward like an arrow.

I could only stare in fascinated horror as the magic shot towards me, nothing stopping it until-

Bang!

Light shot out around me in protection. Startled, I recognized the same light that had first transformed me. Why could it protect me now? And where did it come from? The purple light was no match for it and quickly wore itself out, disappearing without a trace. Once both lights vanished, Yami looked to see what had become of me.

Strangely, water stared rolling down my bare skin. Was… was I… _leaking_? (A/N: ten cookies for who can guess where this quote came from) what has he done to me? I looked up at Yami's frozen staring face as I felt more water leak out.

Why… why… me?

"Why…. Me?" my voice quivered in a way I hadn't known it could. Yami inhaled sharply. Suddenly, I realized that my voice had asked the question in the human's language. Since I had, why hadn't he answered? Growing more desperate, I tried again, "Why me?"

"Y-Yugi?" Yami spoke quietly as if I would flee if startled. As if I _could_. "Y-Yugi, you… you can talk?"

My throat clenched up and I couldn't speak anymore, but I tried anyway. All that came out was a gurgled whine, before I hung my head to let the wet water fall freely. Absently, I felt shaking hands unlatch the bindings and pick me up, but the heavy sensations were already enough for me and I didn't want to fight anything anymore. So I let the warm hands hold me and place me back in my wrought iron cage.

-Outside the cage-

_That's… unexpected. Not the fact that Yugi talks, I suspected as much before, but why didn't he say something earlier? More importantly, why didn't the spell work? It should've turned Yugi back to normal, so why-?_ Yami's thoughts were interrupted by Seto as the other announced his presence.

"Seto! I need your help!" Yami said before the wizard had even removed his shoes. Blue eyes showed surprise with a small blink before the wizard smirked.

"What did you do this time, Yami?"

"Not what I did, but what I didn't! I tried to turn Yugi back with a spell I found, but I… it didn't work!" Yami rushed, trying to drag his cousin behind him.

"Slow down! It's not like the half-breed is going to get away. You put him back in the cage, right?"

"Yes, yes, I put him back in the cage. And how many times do I have to tell you? He's an _angel_, not a half-breed!"

"Only if he descended from heaven would he be an angel." Seto grumbled, but he knew his cousin wasn't listening.

"This is the spell I used to try to change Yugi back, but a light came out and… I don't know, protected him? It's very strange." Yami trailed off.

"…" Seto grew serious, "What was the spell that you put on him before?"

"Um… let's see… I think it was- THIS ONE!" Yami exclaimed happily as he tugged a thick book from a jumbled pile. Quickly skimming through the pages, he came to the correct spell and proudly showed off his finding to his cousin, "This one is very difficult if I do say so myself!"

Taking the offered open book, Seto quickly scanned the contents of the page: potion ingredients, chant words, circle diagrams- everything. Eyes falling to the last portion labeled 'side-effects', blue eyes widened before narrowing, "ew, I'm _so_ glad you didn't use this on me!"

"What? Why?"

"This changes animals into a likeness of the castor and," Seto paused, reading more before continuing, "It appears as though this spell…"

"What? Is what?" Yami asked, dread pooling in his stomach. His feelings were only confirmed when ice blue eyes looked with his own.

"This spell is permanent."

Phantomworks; DUN-DUN-DAAAAA!

**Alice; so Yugi is staying in his half-breed-**

Phantomworks; angel.

**Alice; whatever form until he dies?**

Phantomworks: sorta. Please review!

**Alice; sorta? What do you mean sorta? Hey! Get back here!**


	7. A Yugioh Christmas

Phantomworks; sorry, this isn't another chapter of ES. I'm still working on it.

**Alice: no she's not.**

Phantomworks; sorry! I just got this great idea and had to write it!

**Alice; and thus, a Yugioh Christmas was born!**

Phantomworks: exactly! Anyway, I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

A Yugioh Christmas

"Yugi? What are you doing?" a tri-color haired teen looked up. His amethyst eyes sparkled in question as he tried to put together the reusable Christmas tree. Jumping from the stool, he knelt to pick up a few more wire and plastic branches as he answered the question.

"I'm putting up the Christmas tree."

"Christmas tree?" his dark questioned, crimson eyes clinking in confusion.

"Yeah, a tree you decorate for Christmas." This confused the ex-pharaoh even more.

"Kris- mas?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah, you know, baby in a manger-oh wait, that was _after_ your time." Yugi commented, pausing in his construction. "You don't even know about Santa Claus, do you?"

"Who?" Yami asked, more confuzzled by the moment.

"Ugh, I don't have time to explain right now. I'll tell you in a minute after I'm done decoration, or you can go ask Joey. He's watching the shop for me."

"Okay." The ex-pharaoh said, shuffling out of the sea of décor. Eventually, he made it to the store front where his Aibou's blonde friend was sitting on a stool behind the counter, staring off with a bored, dazed look.

Joey being bored was not a good mix, as you will soon find out.

"Joey? Who is Sandiego?" Yami asked.

"What?"

"Sandiego. Yugi's decorating our house in red and green for him. Is it someone who's coming over for a birthday party?" oh yes, Yami knew about birthday parties. The fun, the cake… the beer and sex. Best day of the year! Good times, good times…

Joey blinked, processing his friend's words. Sandiego-? Oh! "You mean Santy-Claus?"

"Yeah, him. Who is he?"

Thinking, Joey wondered where to start when an idea hit him. A pleasantly _evil_ idea. Okay, not-so-much evil as prank like and Joey did like his pranks.

Oh yes he did.

"Santy Claus is a fat old guy who lives up on top of da world."

"Top of the world? Does he live in a five-story mansion like Kaiba?"

"Sorta, except he's higher dan Kaiba."

"Higher than Kaiba? Impossible!"

"Oh, it's possible all right. An' he had hundreds of minions called elves that work for him."

"He doesn't sound very nice at all!"

"No, he usually is. His minions spend all year making toys for children."

"Even weekends?"

"Especially weekends."

"EGAD! Even in ancient Egypt we left the slaves have one day off each week!"

"Yeah, but dis ain't Egypt now is it?" Joey answered, getting a little huffy because he kept getting interrupted. "Anyway, he makes toys for all da little children for one day of da year where he'll break inta dere houses and leave gifts under da tree."

Well… that didn't sound too bad. Except for the whole breaking and entering thing, this man seemed rather nice.

"But he only does dis if you've been good all year."

"… What if you haven't?" Yami wondered aloud, thinking back to all the times he'd messed up the past year.

"Den not only do you _not_ get presents, But Santa takes the ting you love most and replaces it with a pile of coal." Joey said, face startlingly serious.

"Wh-what?" Yami flinched. The thing he loved the most? Well, that's- YUGI! "H-How does he know if someone's been bad or good?"

"He watches them. Every little kid in da world. He sees when dey're sleepin' and knows when dere awake. He. Sees. Every-thin'!"

Paling, Yami swallowed thickly. Everything? Even when he sent that dog that kept pooing in their yard to the shadow realm? Or when he vaporized that pile of snow? Or when –gulp- when he and Yugi did it?

His gaze darkened. No one saw Yugi like that except him!

"If he's such an evil man, why is Yugi decorating the house for him?"

This caused Joey to think for a second, before he grinned slyly, "Yugi has been good this year and wants his presents. Have you been good, Yami?"

Eyes widening, Yami raced out of the store, intent to get Yugi to gut away the decorations before the ghastly beast of a man came to their house. Quite loudly, Joey laughed at the ex-pharaoh's actions before he settled back down to his day dream.

"_I knew you'd come back, Puppy." A taunting voice made shivers go down Joey's spine, "Such a loyal puppy. Always coming back to his Master."_

o 0 OO 0 o -

"Yugi? Who's that?" Yami asked, pointing to a jolly fat man sitting on a throne. They were in the middle of Domino mall and Yami had unknowingly just caught his first glimpse of his newly appointed arch-rival.

"That's Santa Claus. Joey told you about him, right?" Yugi answered, not turning from his shopping. Immediately after he heard this, Yami his behind Yugi, tugging on the smaller teen's sweater.

"Y-Yugi? Can we leave please? Before he sees us?"

"Yami. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a man in a red shirt and pants."

"No, Yugi! He's evil! Pure evil!"

_Figures Yami would treat him like any child who's never heard of Santa before. He has to overcome this 'fear'._ Yugi thought, tugging his dark into the line to meet Santa.

"Yugi? Yugi? Why are we going closer? We have to leave! Before he notices!" the dark teen tried to pull his hikari away.

"Yami, it's just a man. He's like Santa's little helper. Like the elves."

_Elves? … Minions!_ Yami's thoughts immediately went back to the oppressed creatures that served the evil man. "Like the abused elves?"

"Abused?" Yugi turned to his dark while standing in line.

"Yes! He makes them work all year long!"

"…" Yugi was unprepared for Yami's misunderstanding, "They aren't abused. They love their work."

"W-what!" Yami blanched, _so they are in league with __**him**_**. **_I should've known! _

By now, they had made it to the front of the line. Turing, Yugi gave Yami a questioning look. "Do you want me to come up with you to meet Santa's helper?"

Mind snapping back to the present reality instead of him slaying elves and banishing fat men in red to the Shadow Realm, Yami blinked. What had Yugi asked again? Then he recalled.

"No! No! Stay right here, Aibou." Yami ordered as he stalked forward. Quickly, he made his way to the man on the throne who gestured for him to sit on his lap. Glaring, Yami eyed the two other minions on either side of the throne. Three against one, not good odds. As such, he'd obey, for now.

"You seem a little old for this, young man." The red clothed man said, words muffled through his beard.

Smiling innocently, Yami grabbed the man's collar, dragging them nose-to-nose, "Listen here, minion and listen well. Tell you master that he better stay away from my house or I'll kill him, rip out his heart and feed it to the dogs. Now, I'm going to leave and you aren't going to even dare to come after me, got it?"

The frightened man nodded hurriedly in agreement. This teen was insane!

"Good." Yami said, releasing the red fabric and turning his calm face just as a camera flashed. "Ah!"

While Yami had stalked up to Santa's throne, Yugi had paid for his dark to have a picture with Santa. His first time simply _had_ to be commemorated. The photographer had taken the money, cleaned his lenses and positioned his camera just as Yami turned to face them. A flash went off as the camera captured the moment.

"Ah!" Yami shouted, stumbling off the throne and rubbing at his blinded eyes. Cursing in Egyptian, he failed to notice Yugi taking the offered print that would show Yami on Santa's lap after a few minutes had allowed it to dry.

_Oh no! They know what I look like now! Must escape!_ Yami's mind screamed at him as his vision returned. Grabbing Yugi's wrist, he forcefully dragged his hikari after him as he fled from the mall. Sighing, Yugi just let him.

_Ah kids._ Yugi thought, while being towed, _can't live with 'em, don't want to try without._

o 0 OO 0 o -

"Yami, what are you doing?" Yugi asked. It was Christmas Eve and Yami had down-right refused to go to bed.

"I told you! I'm waiting for that vile excuse of a-!"

"Santa Claus. You're waiting for Santa Claus." Yugi sighed, "What did he ever do to you?"

"Nothing… yet. But Joey told me all about his dastardly deeds! I won't let him get away with it!" Yami practically yelled from behind his barricade of pillows. Honestly, it looked like a little kid's fort. Grumbling a bit, Yugi looked up with a 'why-me?' expression right before he noticed that he was standing in the doorway.

Right under a mistletoe.

_Great. Just great._ Yugi thought before questioning Yami, "And just what are his deeds?"

"Well, if you're bad, he'll stead what you love most and replace it wi-!" Suddenly, Yami turned as if remembering something very important. "Yugi! You can't be here! he'll try to take you away! You must go into another room! Quick, before he gets here!"

Yami started to push the smaller out of the door, but Yugi held firm. All of a sudden, he found a way to use the mistletoe to his advantage.

"Yami! I can't! I can't leave this spot!" Yugi said.

"What? Why not?" Yami gasped, "Is it magic? He's already put a spell on you, hasn't he!"

"N-err, yes."

"That fiend!"

"But you can break it!" Yugi quickly added.

"Oh, right! Shadow Magic!"

"No, Yami." Yugi put a hand on Yami's arm, preventing him from using his powers. "It's not that difficult to break."

"It's not?"

"No, see that?" Yugi pointed up at the mistletoe, "Anyone under it can't leave until someone has kissed them. Will you kiss me, Yami?"

Shocked, Yami's jaw fell slack and Yugi's innocent stare before he pulled himself together. Calmly, lovingly, he answered, "Of course, Aibou."

Then he sealed his lips over his hikari's, drawing the smaller into a mind-blowing kiss. Licking his lips, the older was granted entrance to that deliciously addictive cavern. In no time, their tongues were engaged in a fierce battle of wills that destroyed all other thoughts. That is, until…

_Thump- Jing~le…_

_Click click click_

"SANTA!" Yami shouted, pulling away from Yugi as if he forgot what he was just doing. Dazed, Yugi didn't notice that Yami had run to the chimney until the other started a fire in the fire place.

"Yami! No! Put that fire out!" Yugi ordered, throwing water on the burning pile of wood.

"Hey! That was out only offense! Now we can't stop him, Yugi!" Yami cried out for the loss of his fire.

"No! You're not burning Santa Claus!"

"But Yugi-!"

"NO!"

Above them, a certain blonde was laughing his head off as he listened to the two arguing below. This was really too good. When Yugi had told him about Yami's aversion to Santa, Joey simply couldn't help himself! It was the best prank he ever pulled!

Still laughing until his sides hurt, the blonde didn't notice that he was rolling closer and closer to the edge of the roof until he toppled off. Luckily, the snow broke his fall, but not before he let out a yelp. Grunting a bit, he froze when a window opened to allow warm house light to wash over him.

"Uh…" he started to say.

"SANTA!"

"Joey!"

Yep, his greatest prank ever.

Now it was time to run for the hills.

Phantomworks; hope everyone liked that! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

**Alice: and a happy new year!**


	8. I missed! 4

Phantomworks: hey everyone, I'm working on that new chapter, but I have a history paper I'm dealing with.

**Alice: then how did you find time to write this?**

Phantomworks; it's left over from a writing craze I had a few weeks back. Anyway, I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

I Missed! Ch 4

After the first time, Yami has been looking through more and more books. From time to time, he'll pick me up again, tie my wings and place me on a stool or other hard surface to perform another spell only for more disappointment. I don't know why the spells won't work, but I think it has something to do with the light that protects me. It's the same every time. He casts a spell; the light comes out, protects me and then disappears.

It doesn't make sense.

The wizard hasn't been doing much more since that first time other than finding more spells. He tries to talk to me a lot, but I still don't' understand many words so I usually just ignore him. He also managed to give me my feathers back, but he kept calling them 'clothes'.

Maybe that's the human word for it?

I don't really care because now I can mate again! Since no self-respecting female would mate with a feather less freak, I have another chance! Now if only I could get out of this cage…

"It's a bit stuffy in here, don't you think, Yugi?" Yami said cheerily, though I only caught my name among the jumble of words. Looking up at him, I blinked then stared out the window again. "You're right. Let's open a window."

Without another word, he cracked open the window a bit and a cool breeze rushed in. the smell of the forest washed over me, fresh flowers and soft soil and the faint scent of animals. Loudly, I chirped, calling out to all of the ones near me. I should've been calling out for help, for freedom, but as soon as 'that' scent hit my nose, it was the furthest thing from my mind.

I am looking for a mate.

My callings were deeper than before, by throat sounding like gravel at some points, probably because I hadn't used it much recently. Despite this though, I managed to get several females attentions and a few inched forward before one a lit near the window.

"Yugi?" she squawked.

"Tea!" I chirped back happily, "Do you want to-?"

"Mate?" she asked, her voice unruffled. Eagerly, I nodded. She cocked her feathered head to the side, eyeing me up, "With _you_?"

Less eager this time, I nodded.

"Have you seen yourself, Yugi? You're hideous!" she shrieked. I blinked at her.

"But how? I got my feathers back, how am I hideous?" I asked, a dark feeling in my gut.

"Look at yourself, Yugi. You're _human_!" she squawked, ruffling up her feathers to make herself look bigger. "You _don't _have feathers or a beak! You have _arms_ and _legs_! Just like a _human_! You even have _hair_! Your eyes aren't black and you're puny! What bird would ever want to mate with you now?"

"That… that's not true!" I squawked. There's no way that could be right! I can't be human! I have my wings! I am-!

"See for yourself, Yugi." She said as she cocked her head at a shiny object. Jerking my head towards it, I was prepared to prove her wrong when I caught sight of who was looking back at me.

I had seen the object there before, always assuming the figure was Yami keeping an eye on me, but with him sitting not two feet from me, I saw the human for what it was.

It is me.

It's true, I am hideous. I am human yet not. The human arms are lifeless, my legs useless to me now. My wings are awkwardly pushed back to make room for the thin, pale limbs. My face looked completely human, like Yami even with the… hair, but we weren't the same. He was normal on human terms, even Tea was normal for birds, but me?

I'm a freak.

"See Yugi? You're not even remotely normal or mate-able, you should just-!"

"Go away." I ordered. She fell quiet, cocking her head to the side. Belatedly, I would realize that I had spoken in human speech, but at that moment I didn't care. I yelled at her, startling her and completely blowing any chances of mating. Not like it mattered anyway. "Just go away!"

In a flurry of feathers, she squawked in surprise and took to the skies, the flight instinct overriding the fight. A shudder racked my deformed body as I started leaking again, water rolling down my warped face.

I'm a freak. Not a bird, not a human, a freak. I didn't deserve this, it wasn't my fault. It wasn't meant for me. It was meant for that blue jay, but instead here I am. I don't deserve to live anymore. I don't want to.

That day, I stopped eating.

-Outside of the cage a couple days later-

"Seto, I'm worried about Yugi." Yami said, glancing at the small figure in the cage with concern. The little angel looked utterly devastated in his own way. His food bowl was still full of dry cereal, left over from the morning breakfast, the water bowl wasn't much better. It was like the little one had simply given up.

"Why? He seems fine to me." Seto said, not even looking up from his book and cup of coffee.

"How can you say that? He hasn't eaten in days! He's too thin and he just seems to sit there! Doesn't even speak or chirp or whatever you call it! Something is wrong!" Yami slammed his hands onto the table, receiving a reaction from the brunette, but no from the angel.

"Maybe he's homesick. Did you think of that? Maybe he doesn't like being in a cage his entire life." Seto bit out. Anything to make his cousin's life miserable.

"But I ant' set him free. It goes against the laws of wizards." Yami said sadly. "Besides, he'd never survive!"

"Well, maybe you should've thought of that before you decided not to kill him!" Seto snapped. Silence dragged on after the statement, causing the blue-eyed wizard to look up. Seeing his cousin despair over such a small thing, he sighed and gave in, "When did it start acting up?"

"_He_ has been like this for a couple days. Ever since I opened that window, come to think of it. Do you think he really is homesick?" Yami asked.

"Well, did anything else happen?" Seto asked in return, "Because I don't see it- him staring out the window. Rather it- he has its- his back to it.

"Nothing much. One of his friends came by after he started singing a lot, but the more they talked, the more troubled he looked. Then he just yelled at them to 'go away'." Yami said.

"Hmm, it could be –wait, how do you know what… he said?" Seto asked, curious.

"He said it… out loud… He can speak human, did you know that?" Yami tried to explain.

"How do you figure?"

"Other than the fact that I _understood_ him?" Now Yami was starting to get worked up.

"Prove it."

"I can't. He doesn't say much. It's only happened twice and each time was barely two words strung together." Yami pondered before remembering the problem at hand, "But that's not the point! The point is, something's wrong with him! In this book, I've read, it says birds only stop eating when they are distressed!"

"But he's not a bird anymore."

"Yes, I know, but _he_ doesn't! He still thinks like a bird! He 'speaks' like a bird and acts like it! He doesn't even use his arms! He doesn't get it." Yami threw his hands up in exasperation.

"… What if he does?" Seto inquired, mind forming an idea.

"What?" Yami paused in his rant.

"What if he does know?" the brunette reiterated.

"I highly doubt that after all this time, that he would just suddenly understand-!"

"Think about it, Yami." This silenced the wild-eyed wizard. "You said that a 'friend' of his came by and the window was open, right? And they communicated?"

"Yes."

"If you can see that… what was his name, Yugi? If you can see that Yugi is different and I can see that, what's to say a bird can't? We can't tell him what has happened, but the bird can or could and probably did."

Yami's jaw clenched, teeth closing with a click.

"Now, I've been part of the animal world if only for a short time. It's not nearly as nice as the human world is. It's based purely off of looks, nesting or denning techniques and how well they find food or protect their mates and young. Yugi, as you know, is no longer good at any of those in the eyes of those birds. To them and himself, he's worthless."

With sad eyes, Yami spared a glance in the angel's direction. The cloudy feathered wings slumped against the soft floor of the gilded cage and the barely basic dress he had put on the little angel not three days earlier was already dirty at the edges and needing to be fixed. Blank eyes stared at them without interest. For all he was, Yugi could've been a very realistic doll, nothing except the small movements necessary for breathing separating them.

"How do I fix it? How do I help him?" Yami asked.

"That, I don't know. Maybe talking to him, letting him out of his cage occasionally? Nothing can force a horse to drink, so to speak. You may just have to make him comfortable as he lives his last days." Seto said ominously. With a thud, he closed his book and gathered up his things, "When it's time for a funeral, call me."

With that, the blue-eyed wizard left, leaving Yami with his thoughts. And think he did. Long into the night, Yami thought up ways that he could possibly make it up to his small dark-eyed angel. Right before he fell asleep that night, he realized one important thing.

His 'dark-eyed angel' now had navy indigo eyes.

Phantomworks: yay! Cliffhangers!

**Alice: you're evil!**

Phantomworks; well, it's not like I did it on purpose… never mind. I did. I'll update as soon as I find time, kay people? Please review!


	9. Virgin Sacrifice

Phantomworks; I've been trying to get this one up for a while.

**Alice: mostly, she just failed.**

Phantomworks: :P anyway, here it is! I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

Virgin Sacrifice

Shouts rang out as civilians raced through the blazing city. A group of attacking warriors were right on their heels and flames were right behind them. Spears jabbed at the innocent people as they were herded into a group. More slowly trailed in, trying to avoid the spears and swords. Once all were collected and the city was more than half-way burned to the ground, a man, the warrior's leader, called the attention of the entire group.

"We are the Raiya! We rule the lands of the north. To live here, you must pay tribute to us! Where is your leader?" his voice traveled over the crowd of terrified people. Children cried out, scared by all the loud sounds and heat of the fire. Many newborns were silenced quickly by either the mother or violently by an enemy warrior. The man was growing angry. "I WON'T ASK AGAIN! WHERE IS YOUR LEADER?"

Everyone looked around, unsure as to why their leader wasn't coming forward. Then, some shuffled out of the way, forming a path for two people to walk down.

An old man limped forward, leaning heavily on an old wooden staff and a much younger version of himself. The boy looked around twelve or thirteen, but in reality, he was seventeen summers old. His wide, fearful amethyst eyes and soft features belied his age as well as the blonde bangs that framed his face. Dark hair shot up behind them, giving a wild look that was swallowed by the cuteness.

However, the warriors only saw a victim in the making.

"Who are you, old man?" the warrior leader asked.

"I-wheeze- am this village's leader." The man gasped.

"You mean to tell me that _you_ are the leader of this village and thereby the king of this region? What kind of trickery is this!" the leader asked, outraged.

"It is no trickery!" the boy said before withering under the glare of the warrior.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" the man seethed.

"N-no-!"

"Then what right do you have to interfere with our discussion?"

"I-I am the heir to the throne! With my grandfather is such bad conditions, I have stepped in as acting leader!" the boy defended, mentally patting himself on the back for getting through without stuttering too bad. The leader gawked before doubling over in laughter.

"A decrepit old man and a puny runt! No wonder this kingdom was so easily invaded!" the leader laughed. The citizens all hung their head in shame. They had failed their king and prince.

"What do you want?" the king wheezed.

"What do I want? What I want," the leader loomed over them, sneering darkly, "Is complete and utter surrender."

The boy gulped. He had heard from neighboring kingdoms about this warrior group. They would storm a region, enslaving every village they came to and drain the areas resources. Then, once the resources were depleted, they'd take every citizen away to their home city. What happened after that, no one knew.

None every came back.

"All of you are now under our command. Some of you will get off easily and be sent to the palace right away. The rest of you will work from sunrise to sunset. You have until noon to scavenge any belongings that you can."

The boy started to help the old man away when the leader caught his shoulder.

"You, boy. You will stay here."

The boy glanced up with anxious amethyst eyes. "Please, let me help my grandfather first! Then we'll negotiate-!"

"There is no negotiating. If your grandfather cannot work, he is not needed." The leader jerked his head at another warrior, pointing to the old man.

"What do you mean, not needed? He has our entire history! He knows of our lineage, our past! How could he not-!" the boy yelped as he was jerked away from the elder. "Hey watch-!"

_*Slink!*_

The sound of metal slicing through flesh made every village person shudder and look up, seeing who the first death was. The boy watched in stunned shock as his grandfather's body fell to the ground, limp. A mangled head fell in the other direction.

He screamed.

Horrified gasps and cries rose up from the villagers as their kind and knowledgeable leader was killed before their very eyes.

"BE QUIET! ALL OF YOU!" the warrior leader shouted over the uproar. "If you do not wish the same to happen to you, you best obey us!"

As everyone else scurried off to salvage what they could, the boy fell to his knees, silent tears running down his face. His grandfather… died? They killed him? The only family member he had left and they just-?

His vision started to turn black.

Now, with his grandfather gone and his late father having been dead for years, he was the only one left to rule over the region. He was the leader, the king.

And he had nothing to his name but a swift, unhonorable beheading.

~ o 0 O 0 o ~

Only a few days after the invasion, the boy, Yugi found himself in a rickety wagon along with several of his close friends on their way to the palace of the invaders. The wagon had no shelter from the sudden rain storm, nor did they get much food or sleep at night lying on the cold forsaking ground.

It was in this rotten wood wagon that Yugi and his friends rode into the sprawling palace ground and the village lands surrounding it. Cheerful villagers peered at the newcomers on the wagon. Small children pointed and shouted happily, "Sacrificio virgenes!"

Yugi had a really bad feeling about this…

Once at the palace doors, they were forced off of the wagon and into the dim hall of the building. Herded together, they were taken with guards all around down to the palace dungeon where they were each put into an individual cell, making sure that they couldn't plan anything, like escape. Yugi was the last to be driven into a cell in the long line of them in the dank dungeon.

"Nadie no salgas." The guard said, but whatever those words meant was lost on the foreigners. For all they knew, he could've said that they all would die come morning. This, in truth, wasn't far from reality.

"Yugi, pst! Can ya hear me?" Yugi heard his blonde friend's voice from the cell next to his. He felt tears come to his eyes at the thought that he was the one to get everyone into this mess. If only he hadn't pointed out the 'unmarried' individuals in his town to the warriors, then they wouldn't be here! But how was he supposed to know? He'd never heard of the Raiya people nor of their customs!

Tears fell from his eyes. He'd only been chief for three days and already he was a failure.

"Joey, I'm so sorry!" Yugi sobbed. "I didn't mean to, honest! I didn't know that they were going to take us away! I swear!"

"I know ya didn't buddy, it's not yer fault. 'S not anyone's fault." The blonde said sadly. "I just wish Serenity hadn't been dragged inta dis."

"I'm sorry…" Yugi whimpered.

"Stop apologizin'! It won't make anythin' better. What we need now is a plan. Put your mind ta dat, kay?"

Yugi nodded even though he knew his friend couldn't see him. _That's right, I have to calm down and figure out a way to escape. I have to correct my mistake in the best way possible. First, I have to get everyone out of here, and then I'll focus on finding our way home._

Long into the night, Yugi thought hard about his options. There were so few to begin with and almost everyone had a horrible outcome. By the time morning came, he had fallen even deeper into despair.

The guards returned to gather them all, chain them up and march them outside.

"What's going on?" a redhead Serenity asked, fear in her voice. She was in front of Yugi in line, but behind her brother. The blonde couldn't hear her question that she directed to Yugi.

"I don't know." He said with honesty. In fact, his tired mind could barely make sense of the situation at hand. Why were they being taken outside? Where were they taking them? Why did this all have to happen to him and his friends?

Nothing made sense anymore. He knew he should've slept the night before.

They were forced up several levels of stone steps that lead them up a stone structure to a flattened ledge, not on the peak, but very close to it. Here, the guards made them stand straight and face the crowd of people under them while said crowd parted as another procession made its way towards them.

A horse and its rider brought silence in its wake as it clopped down the widening path. Behind it was a… creature from what Yugi could see. It was filthy and bedraggled and he swore he could see ribs poking out from its skin. Its naked form trailed along after the horse as if it had no will to live. The horse stopped but the creature did not. Rope tied around its wrists yanked it forward as a warrior took the restraints and forced the poor thing to continue up the steep steps.

Struggling, the thing followed obediently, its pace quickening as it felt the warrior tug more viciously on the rope. Soon, it was almost at the level that Yugi and his friends were on. It looked up, as if finally noticing where it was. Dull, dead eyes locked with his own and he gasped. This skinny, deathly pale, dirty thing…

Was human.

The dead eyes showed one emotion as it gazed at him. Sorrow, as if he was the next to go.

And maybe he was.

Yugi swallowed thickly.

"¡Bienvenidos! Tenemos a reunir aquí hoy para el sacrificio virgen y elegir un sacrificio nuevo." A voice boomed from the top of the Stone structure. Yugi looked up to see a man clothed in vibrant colors, arms raised with a knife in his hand. The creature, for it was human no more, had made it to the top of the concrete construction and been shoved onto a stone slab that was stained with various fluids, the most common color of which was red.

"¡Ahora! ¡Ofrecemos este sacrificio a demonio, entonces nosotros nos saliré en tranquil por los dos semanas!"

A great cheer rose at this declaration, but Yugi couldn't for the life of him figure out what the man had said. Yet he didn't need to know what he had said as a horrible feeling of dread filled his stomach and an icy chill sunk into his bones.

"¡Acepten nuestra oferta!" the man shouted as he drove the knife into the body of the creature. No pained cry left its lips, no trembling or struggling showed that it even felt the end of its life coming. Only blood dripped ever so slowly from the figure as Yugi saw its chest stop rising.

Silence lasted only a second before the crowd cried out even louder this time in glee at the murder of an innocent.

"How can dey do dis?" Yugi turned to his horrified blonde friend, "Dey have no right!"

"But what can we do to stop them, Joey?" Yugi hung his head, "We're next."

The blonde stiffened at his friend's defeated tone. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought that his friend had given up. "Yugi, you can't possibly mean dat."

"I can't, Joey?" Yugi looked up at him with broken eyes. Joey flinched at the absolute emptiness in his friend's eyes. "I've thought of every escape possible. Every route, every trick, everything. Nothing could get us out of here, not without at least one of us dying."

"Well, one is okay…" Joey said slowly. He really didn't want to say that, but from his view point, one out of ten ain't bad.

"Is it? What if it's Serenity?" Yugi asked. The girl in between them flinched as did her brother. Before the blonde could get angry at his comment, Yugi put them both at ease, "No, it wouldn't be her. Every time, it would be the same person and I won't let anyone die for my sake."

"Every time? Who is it?" Joey wondered.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yugi gave him a broken look, "A king's life is second to his people."

The blonde gave him a confused look. At this, Yugi let out a humorless laugh, "Every time. The person to die… is me."

Honey colored eyes widened in shock, but he had not time to say otherwise because a guard smacked them both and brought their attention back to the man who had walked down the steps and arrived at their ledge.

A translator stood to the side, telling them what was happening.

"Three bags will be passed around. In each is a stone for each of you. All are the same size and weight, but one is black. Should you draw two black ones, you will be chosen."

"Chosen for what?" Yugi asked, but the man did not answer him. He had a good idea but fervently hoped that he was wrong. The bags were brought out then, each passed around as a characteristic was announced.

"Beauty." A blue bag was passed.

"Strength." A red bag.

"Innocence." A white bag.

Each time, the bag was passed down the line and each prisoner drew from the bag as it went by. Every time, Yugi prayed that he would draw the black so that, if anyone was chosen, he wouldn't have to live to see his friends suffer because of his mistake. He was the chief, he would go first.

Yet even as he prayed this, he did not look at the stones in his hands, too afraid that his prayer would be heard.

"Show your stones." The translator ordered. The guard prompted the first in the line, a trembling albino that could barely hold onto his chosen rocks. From where he could see, Yugi knew that each stone was as white as his friend's snowy hair. Saving Ryou the trouble of displaying the stones, Yugi stepped forward.

"May I go first?" he asked the translator.

The man looked startled, as if no other prisoner had asked such a question. He relayed it to the vibrantly clothed man and he looked just as startled. As if they didn't know what else to do, they nodded. Holding the stones in a casual manner, one placed in each of the spaces between his fingers, Yugi showed off his findings.

Three black stones seemed to absorb the sunlight of the morning forebodingly.

The translator and the king, Yugi guessed anyway, both gasped in surprise as well as Joey who let out a frightened, "Yugi, how did you-?"

"I am the king of games, remember?" Yugi said sadly as he was transferred from the line of chains to a set that were separate from everyone else. "I couldn't live with myself if I were not the first to suffer."

"Yugi!" his friends called after his as he was led to the top of the stone tower. He was presented to the crowd and to another round of cheers as the man shouted.

"¡El sacrificio nuevo elegió!"

Closing his eyes, Yugi tried to drown out the crowd's vicious merriment at his demise. He could only guess what would happen now.

o 0 O O 0 o

Surprisingly enough, he was taken to a robe room where they clothed him in fine cotton, a rare material reserved for only kings and priests of high status. From there he was taken to a banquet hall where a long table was filled with every kind of food imaginable.

"Eat." The translator said, motioning to the table. If Yugi were anything like his friend Joey, that would've been a death sentence to any person in the room. However, he wasn't like his blond friend and had lost his appetite long ago.

"I'm not hungry." He said simply.

The translator looked offended. "You will eat or we will force it down your throat."

Gulping, Yugi gave the food another look. Maybe he could eat just a little… avoiding the meat and bread (who knows what they could've cooked into it?) he stuck to eating fresh fruits and vegetables that looked ripe to perfection compared to all the cooked meals available. After he had eaten his fill, he had been escorted to a room with a posh bed high in a tower that he couldn't hope of escaping from.

Not that he wanted to. No, he chose this, to be the replacement for one of his friends. He wouldn't back out now. Who knows? So far, it hadn't seemed so bad.

Gazing out at the night sky, he decided that he'd have to go to bed in order to be ready for whatever came with the morning sun. Not having had any sleep the night before, he crawled into bed and quickly fell asleep.

o 0 O O 0 o

Pain made his eyes snap open. Still groggy from his mind tried to make sense of where he was as his head whipped back and forth. Why was he chained to a stone wall when he had fallen asleep on a soft bed? Why was he naked when before he was clothed in white robes? Why was he in pain when he should've been asleep, dreaming of happier times?

What was going on?

"¡ah! Veo estás despierto. Ahora podemos empecer." A dark voice said behind him. Jerking his head up, Yugi looked over his shoulder to see a large heavily muscled man wielding thick cords. Three whip-like structures hung from the wrapped handle and Yugi just knew that it would hurt to be hit by them.

Like he already had.

Without another word, the man drew back his arm and Yugi hurriedly turned his face back to the stained wall, as if it would keep him from feeling the pain.

_Thwack!_

"GYAAAH!" Yugi cried out in pain as the three whips sliced across his skin in unison. The man laughed darkly in pure glee as he brought the whips back again and let the pain continue. Soon enough, it was the only thing in Yugi's mind.

Pure pain. Red welts broke open to release blood down his body. The ropes burned his wrists at his every movement and his knees and legs burned with holding his position for so long. His throat grew hoarse with his cries of help and pain, yet no one answered him.

There was a pause once for the man to change with another, a switch of shifts before the pain commenced again. The sun set and hid under the horizon and still the pain continued until finally, Yugi passed out.

When he awoke, he was changed to a stone slab, his arms at his sides and his legs bent at an uncomfortable angle. His back stung as he laid on it, smashing his wounds against the dirty stone slab.

_That'll get infected_. He thought, his mind strangely absent from his surroundings. Suddenly, a man came up to his side. It was the same one from when he woke up before, actually.

"Él está despierto. Empece." The man said and Yugi turned his head to a partner that was across the room. The other nodded and turned to a table that had been carved into the wall. Yet another man came in from a doorway somewhere to his left, making three men in total.

_I wonder what he's doing over there_. Yugi thought. Well, it wasn't an actual thought so much as a general feeling of wonder. He was in too much pain to articulate the words anyway.

As he continued to watch, the man at the table handed something off to the one that had spoken. Then he and the one that had just come in unchained his legs and shoved them up roughly, causing him to cry out when his body jerked with the movement and his back grated against the rough stone. Pain blossomed behind his eyes as his entire body shook with the agitated nerve endings' distressed signals.

Feeling the tears well up in his eyes, he couldn't see past the blurry fog of pain or of tears to know what the third man was doing.

But that didn't mean he couldn't feel.

Something brushed against his backside when the door opened again.

"¡Pará!" the intruder said. The men stopped as if ordered to and Yugi blinked the tears out of his eyes. Who was it now? Craning his neck, he was met with the figure of the translator from before.

_Why would he be here?_ He wondered. The translator walked around so that they were face to face.

"I was supposed to inform you of what would be happening and it completely slipped my mind." The man said with a sickeningly sweet smile. "You see, when you chose those three rocks, your fate was sealed. You were chosen for our next sacrifice."

_Sacrifice!_ Yugi's eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Yes, sacrifice. Those three rocks pointed out specific qualities that a perfect sacrifice must have. Beauty, power and innocence. These guards have been trained to take everyone one of those attributes away from sacrifices before the end of two weeks. By the time of the sacrifice, you will be but a shadow of yourself now." the interpreter smiled at Yugi's horrified look. "As with all things, innocence is the first to go."

"Wha-?" Yugi rasped just as the guards shoved his legs up again, spreading them wide. The other guard had a shaft of rough wood in his hands, positioning it just so. "N-no, what are you doing? S-stop! Let me go, _let me go!_"

"Empece." The interpreter said.

With just that one word, Yugi's world exploded in pain. The man rammed the wood shaft into his hole, tearing skin and flesh on its way. Yugi screamed, his mind numb to anything but the ache from his a**. Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he tried to _lose_ consciousness, but apparently God wouldn't allow him even that.

"Ata él y golpea él más. Tenemos que prepararse para el viaje. No puede del muerto antes el sacrificio." The translator said, turning. The men unchained Yugi, but retied him to the wall where he had been the day before. All three bore cat-o-nine tails, all of which soon introduced themselves with Yugi's already bruised and bloodied skin.

His throat was already hoarse from yesterday's screaming and crying and he just couldn't find the energy to go on. Thankfully, he soon fell into unconsciousness.

o 0 O O 0 o -

Breath left his lungs as he struggled to keep up with the fast pace his captors had set for him. The ropes burned his wrists as they tugged incessantly, commanding him to move forward. The horses' hooves struck a thundering beat that matched the sound of his heart all too well. His throat was raw from the gasps and pants that he had been forcing his body to take in for the past few… days? Weeks? He couldn't remember anymore.

_Please… just let me rest! Just one night where I'm not running to keep up, to not be dragged. Just half a day for a small nap. You'll give me an hour? Thank you so much! A few minutes to sit? I'd cry with relief! A second to stop and catch my breath? I'd die of gratitude!_

Rough grass sliced into his already blood-stained feet. Branches smacked him in the face and he no longer had the will to duck out of the way. His vision became a tunnel, focusing only on what was ahead of him. The horses to which his rope lead was tied kept at a steady fast pace, wearing him down bit by bit.

_A little bit of water would be nice. Just one canteen over seven days isn't too much to ask, is it? A cup full would quench my thirst! Just one drop and I'll be good!_

Pain had become his world. When he woke up, there was pain. When he went to bed, there was pain. Even now, after so many nights of no sleep or rest, the pain was an ever-present constant. What would he do, he wondered, if the pain suddenly stopped? It seemed completely unthinkable. His stomach gave a woeful whine and a sharp stab of hunger.

_Food too. That would be good. Like those at the banquet that I had refused to eat. Fresh fruit and vegetables, I'd even eat the meat! Just one meal to get my strength back up. Just a piece of bread to keep me going. Just a crumb and I'll carry on, I swear!_

As if his first prayer had been answered, the horses reared up in front of him, startled at something that lay in their path. The first fell like a rock, then the next like a domino.

_Dominos… funny things they are. I wonder if I could play with them when I get back home._ The shaken sacrifice wondered, his thoughts scattered by days without food, water or sleep. Blood that seeped from the once-proud animals had no effect on him as he fell to his knees, ignoring the shocking ache where the wooden shaft was lodged.

Right before his amethyst eyes, the two horse riders drew swords to defend themselves, only to fall as well to what appeared to be a vicious animal. Black hair as dark as the night sky seemed to soak in the moonlight that managed to break through the canopy of trees. Savage sounds of grunts and growls were issued from the depths of its form as it tore the two humans apart with its teeth and claws. If Yugi didn't know any better, he'd say that the form was just that, an animal, yet something was off.

Finally, as if noticing Yugi for the first time, the beast pulled back, crimson eyes glowing with the thrill of the hunt. Blood dripped from its –his- lips, a red-stained tongue flicking out to lick up the excess. Entranced, the human didn't even bat an eyelash at the action. Dropping the dead carcass, the creature rose from his hunting crouch.

Licking the red liquid off of his fingers, the creature stalked forward, intrigued by the human that showed no fear. Numb, Yugi didn't even notice the fact that the savage was coming closer. He was too captivated by the blood-red eyes that were locked with his own, daring not to even blink in case this was all just a dream that he would wake up from.

"What do we have here? A human that doesn't fear me?" the creature said. Continuing to stare, Yugi sat dumbly, as if the beast hadn't talked. This seemed to irritate the being as it bared its teeth, "You do not answer?"

Tiredly, Yugi tilted his head to the side, wondering why this creature's –person's – words weren't making sense.

"Or maybe you are too scared to speak?" by now, the being stood over where Yugi sat. Without thinking, the man reached out a hand towards Yugi. In a flash, Yugi remembered every time in the past week where 'touch' had been initiated and it always lead to pain.

Pain like his burning wrists and throbbing feet. Pain like the gnaw of hunger slowly eating him away. Pain like the ache in his rear that constantly left him light-headed and dizzy.

Pain was bad.

'Touch' was bad.

This man was bad.

"No!" Yugi shrieked, jerking away, only to fall onto his side as pain numbed his system. "N-no more…p-plea…se… No… more. M-make it… stop!" he rasped. No tears fell from his eyes. They had all but dried up.

"!" the man was surprised by his sudden reaction and quickly came to the conclusion that this little human had been selected as the sacrifice for the next new moon. The welts and bruises along with the thick smell of blood only supported his thoughts and when the human began to shake in heart-wrenching sobs, he could see just how thin it truly was.

He should put it out of his misery.

"Do you really want it to stop?" the man asked, wiping the blood from his chin. He inhaled sharply when suddenly wide amethyst eyes locked with his own. They gave him a look of complete awe and maybe even hope? Did the human really want to die that badly?

"s-stop…?" the human repeated.

"Yes. I'll make all the pain, go away." the man said, kneeling beside the boy. Truly the human couldn't have been more than that, right? Even if the air around him signaled him as an adult male. He was just too small… too fragile…

Life was really unfair.

"A-all…" the human looked wistful, as if afraid that this was all a trick. So delicate, this human was. Why couldn't he have gotten to him sooner? Then he could've saved him from this wretched fate. But now, it was out of his control.

Or was it?

"Yes, I'll make everything better." The man reached out, his clawed fingers stretching out to the human. Fearfully, the human flinched from the hand before he had even seen the claws that most certainly didn't belong to any human. Yet once he did, he gasped.

"Y-You… d-demon!" his eyes widened fearfully.

Smirking at his expression of absolute fear, the man couldn't help the small wag that his tail made when he finally came to that conclusion.

Hey, what demon doesn't like a bit of fear of his presence?

However, instead of screaming or struggling that the demon had been sure that the human would start, the boy merely closed his eyes and dropped his head, as if he didn't have enough energy to continue on.

"P-please…" the quiet voice pleaded, "e-end… the p-pain…"

Nodding a bit in his own agreement, the beast grasped the human's arms and pulled him up into his lap. With his legs on either side of the demon's waist, the human blushed bright red just as his eyes filled with terror. Snapping the rope with his claws, the demon lifted one hand to his lips, smiling at the bare minimum struggle that the human gave before giving up on that too.

Instead, the human let out a pathetic whimper when the demon parted his lips and gave a tender lick to one of the welt-like marks that stained pale skin. Warmth trailed over the wound, surprisingly good compared to the pain that had previously come with 'touch'. The warmth turned into a tingling sensation that was both pleasant and frightening.

What was the demon doing?

Not about to ask, Yugi closed his eyes, focusing through aches and throbs onto that warm tingle that was so welcomed after so much pain. His fingers twitched when the tongue circled the rope-burn around his wrist, causing pleasant tickling to fade in there. He couldn't help the shudder that wracked his body when the tongue trailed further down, tracing welt after welt, bruise after bruise and scratch after scratch.

The warm appendage trailed over his neck and down his chest. To his amazement when he opened his eyes, Yugi found said areas free of any marks that the past days of torture had given him.

_How…?_

"Now, let's see that face of yours." The demon said, lifting Yugi's chin to make eye contact with him. Squirming a bit, Yugi tried to lean away, but was stopped by an arm that had wound its way gently around his waist and lower back. Since that, along with the rest of his back, had been brutally ripped open day after day, it was especially tender, still raw and bleeding in some places.

He gave a whimper at his lost escape.

"Sh, everything will be fine." The beast said, licking a particularly red welt from the base of his neck to just behind his ear. The now familiar tingling sensation spiked at this, causing Yugi to give a sharp gasp. "See, doesn't it feel better?"

Unable to respond, Yugi just shivered as the creature continued his work, clearing his face of mostly bruises and some scrapes that the guards had inflicted on him in one of those first few days. A strong hand pushed back his bangs as the last wound on his face was healed.

_**The return of beauty, beauty in the eye of the beholder.**_

"Hmmm… not bad, for a Raiya." the demon commented, looking over the almost angelic face of the human, _his_ human. Beautifully pale skin reflected the moonlight in a way that made him almost seem to glow. When had that brutal warrior group that they made the deal with become something so… stunning? He wanted him all the more now.

_The… Raiya…?_ Yugi wondered, not understanding what the savage was saying. Something sparked in those bright crimson eyes and before his knew it, he was flipped around, his back pressed against the demon's chest. Like a delayed reaction, the pain flared and he let out an ear piercing scream.

Wincing against the noise, the demon bared his teeth at the ungrateful human before feeling blood against his skin. Looking down, he realized just what it was.

A network of bleeding and pussy lashes criss-crossed against the humans back. In some places, it looked like the flesh would fall off all together and in others, some was already missing. All in all, it was not a pretty sight.

The human was now struggling, trying to get away from the painful 'touch'. The demon had promised that he'd end it, right? So why was he making it worse? Why?

"Sh, sh…" the demon calmed, keeping a restraining arm around the human's waist and a vice-grip on his healed wrist. Once he got the human to settle down (or at least give up on the struggle), he gave a small sigh before setting to work on the gashes. At first, the human tensed, waiting for more pain, but gradually relaxed when the pleasant tingling appeared again and grew stronger with every cut healed.

As he worked his way down, the demon slowly leaned Yugi's body forward, having to get to the slashes further down. Eventually, he positioned Yugi on his hands and knees, keeping one arm wrapped around the boy's stomach to keep him up right on shaking limbs. Coming down the small of Yugi's back, the demon paused to look over whatever else the human had been through.

He nearly growled in anger at the shaft of wood shoved uncaringly in the boy's hole. Leaning up to Yugi's ear, he whispered, "This will hurt before it gets better."

At this, Yugi whimpered and shook all the more.

Stroking the human's healed stomach soothingly; the demon turned his attention back to the wooden shaft. Easing his fingers around the piece of lumber, he slipped his claws into the hole alongside the bit of wood before digging them into the softened cellulose. Now came the hard part.

"I'm going to pull it out now. If you feel any pain, bite me." he offered, placing his hand right in front of the human's mouth. He sincerely hoped that the human didn't have any diseases. Said human let out a keening whine before unsteadily pursing his lips around the first knuckle of the offered appendage. "Ready?"

The human shuddered and the beast took that as the 'okay' signal and slowly slid the wood out. Gradually, the pressure of the human's teeth increased, causing the demon to wince a bit before the piece of lumber was completely out. Before the human could get used to the empty feeling, though, the demon quickly reached down to his own cock and with a few pumps, had it erect and sliding into the open body beneath him.

_**Innocence taken lovingly.**_

At the sudden intrusion, Yugi bit down hard, letting out a muffled cry of pain as the demon's blood started to leak into his mouth. Hissing, the demon forced his instincts to wait until the human had adjusted before he removed his hand. Licking at his own wound to seal it up, the demon wrapped his arm back around the human's waist to keep the trembling body up as his other trailed down to give the boy's flaccid cock a few pumps.

Yugi shuddered in confusion as the pleasure battled with the pain. Why was the demon treating him like this? Shoving something else into him… Hadn't he suffered enough? But… the heat, the pleasure and tingling sensations were pleasant and almost made up for the pain. He couldn't make up his mind whether he liked this or not.

Feeling the human growing hard in his hand, the demon pulled back a little to give a small thrust in. Sensing that the boy hadn't felt it, he tried again, going at a different angle. A few more thrusts and he found what he was looking for. The human's head snapped back as a shocked cry of pleasure tore itself from his lips.

Encouraged by the cry, the demon pulled back further, thrusting in harder and aiming perfectly. Again, the human cried out, confusion coloring his voice as pleasure shocked his system. How was the demon doing it? Giving something so… good with 'touch'? It was amazing, relieving… euphoric.

The demon's thrust grew more frequent, a harsh pace driving him in deeper with ever shove. The human's heat constricted around his cock, delicious pleasure stroking him in all the right ways. A shudder ran through the pliant body beneath him and he concluded that the human was about to cum. Pumping the human's erection a few more times, the demon let out a light groan as the trembling body let out a piercing cry that almost hurt his sensitive ears.

Almost.

The greater part of his attention was given to a different area as the walls around his shaft constricted, smothering the heat onto him. With a savagely possessive growl, the demon sank his teeth into a smooth pale shoulder, marking this human as his mate.

The human groaned when the teeth sank into his skin, hard enough to draw blood. Yet for some reason, it didn't hurt, even when fresh blood started to run down his arm. With a silent cry, he released his load onto the forest ground, the force shaking his entire frame. Chest heaving, he was numb to everything while endorphins ran through his system, making him high.

Once the white blankness cleared from his mind, Yugi saw his vision blur and felt himself fall to the forest floor. Blissful sleep caught him in its embrace.

The demon felt the human go limp, but didn't stop, still working toward his own orgasm. Unconsciously, the human's body still pulsed around him, helping in his endeavor until he finally fell over the edge, spilling his seed deep into his mate's body. Collapsing, he fell to his mate's side, turning them both so that they rested comfortably on the forest floor. Taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart, the demon tilted the human's face towards him so that he could gaze at his mate's sleeping face.

_So cute…_ the demon thought as he brushed aside blonde bangs. He hadn't noticed until then how alike they were. True, the human didn't have crimson eyes or animal like features, but he looked similar to the demon all the same. Tri-colored hair and short height, pale features, though the demon was a bit tanner from running through the forest every day.

Sighing a bit, the demon pulled out of the still body, pulling his mate into his arms. He'd have to find another time to bask in the afterglow with his mate because he was supposed to be home long before now. He was somewhat surprised that his cousin hadn't sent out a search party for him yet. It would be all too like his over-protective cousin to pull such a feat.

Huffing in pride when his mate snuggled into his arms, he vowed to make this life better for his little one. Starting with healing the rest of his wounds and finding him new clothes. Humans were always particular about that, right? Or were they not?

Oh well, he'd figure it out sooner or later. After all…

They had the rest of forever together.

Phantomworks; different from what I normally write… I think…

**Alice: yes.**

Phantomworks; anyway, tell me what you think and if there should be a sequel. Please review!


	10. I missed! 5

Phantomworks: sorry I haven't updated this in a while. But this chapter was kind of hard.

**Alice; why?**

Phantomworks; well, at first, I wasn't going to explain anything, but then I decided that it was important and the lemon tease could wait another chapter.

**Alice: wait, this could've been a le-?**

Phantomworks; I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

I missed! 5

"Yugi, please, won't you eat _something_?" Yami pleaded, motioning to my food bowl, but I couldn't bring myself to care. It had only a few days, but the wizard had picked up on my mood change immediately and won't stop crowding my cage. Honestly, I wish he'd just leave me to die quietly.

Death.

That's something that's annoying me lately.

My tummy growled in defiance at my starvation, but I refuse to eat any food, no matter how good, tantalizing, mouth-watering… what was I thinking about again?

Oh yeah!

No matter what, I won't eat!

A freak like me doesn't deserve it.

"Yugi, please! I'm begging you." Yami sounds sad, like he's the one about to die instead of me. That threw me for a bit the first day, but I know by now that he's just over emotional. Besides, who's going to miss a freak?

With a sigh, he unlatches my cage door and reaches in for me. I don't struggle, knowing that he's just going to place me on the soft box, tie my useless legs to a wire twig and then set about reading books. It's what he's done for the past few days. At first, I thought nothing of it, but in an effort to keep myself from thinking about my hunger and caving in to the temptation, I've started paying attention to what books he picks up.

I think that I'm even starting to figure out what those squiggle marks on human books mean!

Too bad I have no way of using them in death.

Just as I had suspected, he tied me to the wire twig and set me on the square. He called it a pillow, but I didn't really care. All I knew was that it was soft. If I could choose a place to die, it'd be right there, so I could go to sleep and never wake up.

He gave me another worried look before picking up his book. Just moving my head took more energy than my body had left, but I did it anyway so that my mind would be thinking about something else.

What mean my eyes shocked me.

On the cover of the book was a picture of three figures. Two were obviously human, no doubt with their featherless arms and backwards legs. I'd be stupid to not recognize them. But the other figure…

That one was what captured my attention the most. Mainly because, the figure…

Was me.

Not exactly of course, but it had the body of a human, clothed in weird robes. Pure white wings stretched out behind it, held in a position that pointed to flight. It was bigger than the humans, yet it didn't cause them fear or disgust. They were… what is the word? ... awed by it. I couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy, but it didn't matter.

It meant I wasn't a freak.

I wasn't alone.

I had to know its name!

"Wha…" my voice came out in a soft raspy whisper, like the air raced out of my lungs before it could form any words. Yet Yami froze and jerked his head in my direction. Determined, I tried again, "Wha… is…"

"Yugi?"

My stomach growled loudly as it had been doing for a few days now. Looking down, I glared at it. Why did it have to interrupt me now? I was in the middle of something important!

Looking back up, I flinched when a small piece of bread was presented to me. Tracing it back, I realized that Yami was holding it out for me, encouraging me to eat, to live. Immediately, my stubborn mind refused, knowing that if I did, my death wouldn't come.

But…

Did I have to die now?

Now that I knew I wasn't alone, that there was someone else like me? Now that I wasn't the only freak in the world? Wouldn't the others want me to live?

Resistance falling, I leaned forward so that my mouth could bite into the soft bread. My mouth ached as I bit into the longed for food and my stomach seemed to try and claw its way up my throat, but I swallowed anyway. One bite went down easily enough, then a second. Before I knew it, half of Yami's bread slice was gone!

Wow, I was hungrier than I thought.

Ripping off another piece, Yami offered me more, but I didn't think I could eat another bite. My stomach was packed full as it was. When he persisted, I shook my head like I had seen the humans do many times. Disappointment rolled off of him in waves, but I couldn't pay attention to that right now.

Something else had to be done.

Licking my lips and … teeth, I took a deep breath and tried once again. "W-Wha… is… it?"

"What is what?" he asked.

"It." I said, staring at the other freak like me. No, not a freak, something else.

"It?" He questioned, turning his book to see the cover. He stared at the picture for a few seconds before looking up with something shining in his eyes. "That, Yugi, is an angel."

"Angel?" I repeated, like those talking birds… parrots?

"Right. Just like you." He said.

Just like me? I was one? So I was right! And if I was like it, the angel, then there must be others like me. Ones that will accept me for what I've become! I have to know more!

"What… are…an...gels?"

"They are part bird and part man, just like you. Most people see them as more evolved than humans, but I think that we are nearly the same. We are just as smart as they are, though in different areas." The wizard went on to describe other things but I got lost in the many words that I still didn't know. What I did know was that angels were as smart as humans.

Did that mean they were as smart as Yami?

If so, I had a lot to learn.

Looking at the picture again, I realized that the angel was standing, using its legs just like a humans. Its hands too. It was holding something that looked like a leaf and another book in its arms. Does that mean that I could use mine too?

Glancing down at the lifeless limbs, I decided to try.

But how do I go about it? Did they move like wings? Did the… fingers move like my flight feathers?

Well, I wasn't going to find out without trying.

Focusing all my senses on the foreign limbs, I flexed my muscles, succeeding in moving my wings, but my… arms did not. Concentrating harder, I tried again. My shoulder rolled slightly with the massive amount of effort I put in. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Gritting my teeth, I glared at my arms, urging them to move and obey my commands.

Slowly, they did.

It felt strange, to have muscles move in limbs that I hadn't been aware existed until a few days ago. They tingled along the upper half until they got to the bend (what was it called? Elbow?). There, my limbs twitched, first one, then the other. Yami had fallen silent, so I assumed he had gone back to reading.

The tingling raced down the length of the lower half of my arms, ending in my… hands? A jittery feeling bubbled in my stomach as the tingling pooled at the tips of my fingers. I could feel the power, the energy, the force at my finger tips. I knew that they could move.

But they didn't.

Making a sad sound in the back of my throat, I felt the energy leave as I gave up.

"You almost had it." Yami said, making me cock my head back to see him looking at me. His book was off to the side, as if forgotten about. Had he been watching me the whole time?

I felt my face heat at the thought. Was I sick?

"Try again." he urged. Taking a deep breath, I looked down at my hands again. Concentrating, I could feel the tingles go down my arms again, faster this time, but they tired out before they could reach my fingers. Huffing out defeated, I looked back up at Yami.

"Once more, but this time…" he reached forward and I couldn't help the flinch back when he grabbed one of my useless limbs between two fingers and lifted it to my eye level. However, the heat from his fingers soothed me and the pressure didn't hurt too much.

Wait a minute.

His fingers! I can feel them!

He was talking again, but it was background noise as I stared at my arm, focusing on where he held, the part where my fingers met the rest of my limb. Again, I could feel the tingles go down the length of my shoulder to my… wrist? Then it met with the warmth Yami gave off and then…

My fingers twitched.

I inhaled sharply and Yami went silent. They twitched again and he loosened his hold, allowing my arm to set on the pad of his finger instead of being trapped by it. This time, the bend in the limb twitched, but I already had the hang of it. I felt my fingers twitch a few more times before they curled for the first time.

It felt similar to closing my flight feathers together; facts that I would remember for later.

Opening them up again, I increased pressure to grasp Yami's finger, but my… hands were too small. Still, I did my best, clinging to him as best I could. Then I focused on my other arm.

Since Yami wasn't holding onto it, it took a little longer to figure out where everything was, but with the knowledge that I had already discovered, I finally figured it out. Those fingers curled too and I slowly maneuvered my arm up, bending it slightly to hold it in front of my face. Giving it a quick sniff, I was happy to find out that it too smelled like me, it was mine.

All during this, Yami watched me closely, like he was memorizing every move I made. _I_ was memorizing every move I made, every movement, every tingle, so that later I could do it again.

Cocking my head to the side, I wondered if I could move my legs too. Doing so on such a soft surface might trip me up though. Grasping Yami's finger with my other hand, I dropped myself over his finger and… hugged it close. I heard him inhale quickly and flinch, but I didn't pay it any attention as I struggled to get my legs underneath me.

Why did Yami have to put me on such a stupidly soft pillow?

The cloth sunk under my feet as I shakily rose on backwards legs. I found that they worked in almost the same way, just backwards. Moving too far one way, I started to fall. Frantically beating my wings, I managed to right myself as Yami helped tug the other way to steady me. I tried again with more success and I couldn't help but feel happy and proud with myself.

Then my face did something weird.

My mouth lifted in a weird way that made my face contort. It startled me and I immediately looked to Yami for help.

"You are amazing." He said, smiling. That wasn't what I wanted to hear.

"This…" I said, managing to drag a hand to my face and my mouth. "What is…?"

"What is what?" he asked, "Nose?"

He pointed to his nose and I shook my head. "Chin?"

He pointed to the base of his face. I didn't even know that _had_ a name. But that wasn't what I was looking for.

"Up." I said, growing a bit… frustrated? Is that the word?

"Up?" he pointed to his mouth. "Lips."

I pointed to mine that were still doing something weird. "Lips?"

"Yes, wait, you mean what are they doing?" he asked, finally understanding.

"Yes?"

"That's a smile. It's something you do when you're happy."

"Smile?" I tried the word out. I had seen Yami do it all the time, but Seto rarely ever did, especially when he thought someone was looking. But to think that I could do it?

My… smile grew bigger at the thought and I looked up at Yami to show him how… happy I was. I wasn't alone anymore. I wasn't a freak. I may never be able to find the others, but I could live with that.

Yami smiled back, probably not understanding my thoughts, but that was okay.

I'd tell them to him… after I learned how of course.

~Human POV~

"Seto! You'll never guess what Yugi did today!" Yami blurted out as soon as his cousin entered the door. The brunette stopped to think. His cousin was overly happy, bubbling with energy. Now why would he ever be like that?

"He died?"

"What the-? No! That's a horrible thing! Why would I be happy about that?" Yami glared.

"I don't know. I would be happy." Seto said.

"That's horrible! You're a horrible person!"

"Hey, I didn't say I wanted him did. And besides, if the last thing I knew was that he was starving himself, what do you think I'd guess?" the brunette argued rather effectively.

"I don't know, that he ate or something?" Yami pointed out.

"Oh… well did he?"

"Yes, for your information, he did." Yami said. "But that's not all!"

"Let me guess, he drank water, pooped and then went to sleep." Seto summed up the past four weeks or so (more or less) of the hybrid's actions in that one sentence.

"Wrong." Yami stopped, "Okay, he did that too, but he did something else!"

"What?"

"He used his hands!"

This made the icy wizard freeze in his steps. "What?"

"Yes! He used his hands! And arms! And legs! Well, he used them already but this time he used them like an actual human!" Yami rambled on and on, describing to the precise detail about how it had happened.

"So he's becoming used to the fact that he's a freak? What made such a change?" Seto asked.

"A picture, the front cover of a book I was reading today. One of an angel to be exact." Yami said.

"Irony at its best." Seto said.

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious that he thought he was the same and a picture on a book meant that there must be more. To him anyway. The one thing that told him he wasn't a freak, an oddity, doesn't even exist." Seto explained.

"That's not irony, that's cruel." Yami said.

"Big difference, all that matters is when you're going to tell him." Seto narrowed his icy blue eyes when Yami didn't immediately answer, "You are going to tell him, aren't you?"

"No, yes, maybe… should I?" Yami looked up in his indecision, "I only just got him to start eating again. I don't what to scare away the chance that he might have at life, y'know?"

"So you're going to keep this fact from him." it wasn't a question, it was a fact.

"Only until I can explain it fully to him. Once he learns more, I'll tell him and persuade him to…"

"Not kill himself?"

"Yeah."

"How? How are you going to persuade him when you two can't even communicate?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? He talks. Not much, but he does. And I'm sure that I can teach him more words over the next few days, weeks, months and we'll be able to have a proper conversation." Yami seemed completely side-tracked by this that he forgot about the prior conversation. And maybe rightly so because at that moment, Yugi woke up.

He chirped to get their attention, or at least, to get Yami's.

"Yes Yugi?" Yami answered, quickly ignoring his cousin.

"Yami, he doesn't talk. I've never heard him-!"

"Be quiet." Yami said before turning back to Yugi. The small hybrid looked down at his hands before managing to move one limb up and curl all but one finger and point to the brunette. In doing so, Seto was impressed. All that was learned in one day?

"Seto? What about him?" Yami asked. The hybrid let his arm drop, as if it took way too much energy to keep it up.

_Figured as much_. Seto thought when the hybrid did something that completely surprised him.

"S-s-se-to?" the hybrid tried.

"Yes, that's Seto." Yami answered, "What about me? Do you know my name?"

At this, the hybrid smiled brightly, innocently, "Y-y-yah… mmi. Yah-mi! Yami!"

Needless to say, Seto was speechless.

Phantomworks: okay! There's another down!

**Alice: another? How many are there going to be?**

Phantomworks: well, I was thinking about two more chapters for this, but a lot more oneshots. So be on the lookout for more coming soon!

**Alice; review and tell her to hurry up!**


	11. Friday Night 2

Phantomworks: okay, I couldn't leave it rest.

**Alice; it would've been better.**

Phantomworks; I know, I know. I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

Friday Night 2

Another Friday night with nothing to do. Okay, so may~be I did that on purpose so that I could spend a little more time with my… self… if you know what I mean.

Right now, I'm ashamed to say that I'm perusing the contents of a sex shop. Although it's more classy and clean than I'd have expected, it's still a sex shop called… 'Classy Kitsune' or something… I didn't really pay attention. A nice-looking blonde was at the counter, but I tried to hide the fact that I was even here. Pretty easy with how short I am. Looking through the items for sale, I blush mildly at the sheer number of toys and trinkets that line the walls.

Do some people do nothing _but_ sex?

Quickly growing embarrassed and desperate, I just pick up a small toy in plastic casing and stalk to the counter. Besides, small wouldn't hurt much, right? Placing my purchase on the counter, I tried to look anywhere _but_ at the blonde who gave me a sly grin.

"First time?" he asked, ringing it up.

"It's for my sister!" I blurted out, without thinking. Well, technically, I'd thought of that excuse way~ before I got here, but it sure felt stupid now that I thought about it.

"Your sister?" he asked, suspiciously, bagging my purchase.

"I lost in a game of poker and had to buy it for her." I explained.

"Uh-huh." He said, giving me a look that said he totally didn't believe me. "Then why's it so small?"

"IF SHE WANTS A BIG ONE, SHE'LL HAVE TO GET IT HERSELF!" I practically yelled, feeling my face heat up. Huffing in embarrassment, I snatched the suspiciously pink bag off the counter, throwing my money onto the flat surface.

"Geez! No need to yell." The blonde called, wincing. Wrenching open the door, I managed to get outside and slam the glass door back into place, effectively silencing his cheerful, "Have a nice day~!"

Of course I'm going to have a nice day. I have a new toy to try out.

Almost running to get home, I reached for the door just as Grampa opened it.

"Why, hello, Yugi! I was just on my way out. I'm meeting professor Hawkins today so be sure to do your homework and go to bed. Don't wait up for me now, okay?" without even waiting for my answer, he skirted around me and walked off, humming a tune. Simply staring as my good luck fell into my lap; I shook my head and walked into the shop.

Closing and locking the shop door, I skirted the counter and continued to my room. Once there, I threw the bag onto my bed and shirked off my shirt. Last time had gotten really messy and I didn't want to have to go through that again. My puzzle was placed carefully on the nightstand next to my bed where I could keep an eye on it. Next off where my pants and finally my boxers.

Now that I was perfectly naked, it was time to open the toy.

Ripping the packaging apart, I held it in my hands and stared.

…

How was I supposed to use it?

When I was at the store, I thought that there would have been some instructions, but looking at it now…

Turning the packaging over, I looked for any fine print, but nothing made itself known. Huffing in frustration, I decided to figure it out on my own.

The toy itself was small and cylindrical in shape. A small hoop was attached at one end; however its purpose was still unknown to me. Did it move? Testing my theory out, I tugged on the string only for it to uncoil between my hands.

Guess it's to get in deeper?

"How to do this…" I hummed, nervous butterflies in my stomach. Last time, my body had acted on its own. Would it do the same now? Only one way to test it out.

Resting my back against the wall, I parted my legs a bit to reach between them for my… yeah. Pumping slowly, I tried to conjure the images I had the last time, but when my mind failed to do so, I simply focused on the sensations that had forced themselves on me. In minutes, my cock was hard and aching with heat and need. Pre-cum leaked from the tip and I licked my lips as my hands used it as lubricant against my heated flesh.

One of my hands got particularly aggressive, taking over control from the other. Yet my mind was so burned with pleasure that I allowed it, pressing my other hand against my mouth, trying to keep myself quiet. Vaguely I remembered that Grampa wasn't here and there was no one to hear me scream. So instead of keeping silent, I opened my mouth to release the moans that tore from my lips.

As soon as I did, however, the hand that I had used to cover my mouth slipped two fingers in. My dazed mind didn't grasp the reason immediately and before I knew it, they had receded and slid down my body. Grazing down my chest, they circled one nipple that turned hard instantly, causing me to moan. I'll definitely have to remember that for next time.

While I had been distracted with that little tid-bit of information, my fingers had slid further, their mind telling them that I needed more than just this. Reaching below my balls, they stroked the flat area there before dipping further and tracing my hole. The first went in easily enough. Having spit to lubricate it must have help, another thing I'm going to remember.

The digit pumped itself a few times as my dominant hand pumped my cock a bit faster as if to distract me. Eagerly, I let it, only noting when the second finger had pressed in and stroked me from the inside out. There, I took over again, trying to dig in deeper to find that one spot that would make my head spin.

Concentrating, I scissored my fingers, hoping to widen the search area a bit. Biting my lip, I gave a manly whimper when I couldn't find that spot. Why couldn't I reach deep enough!

Wait a minute… deep!

Wrenching my eyes open (when had I closed them?), I struggled to gain control of the hand. It seemed to resist me vehemently, burrowing deeper and reaching for that spot. Eventually I won the brief struggle and made my fingers retreat. Stopping my other actions, I groped for the toy before finding it sitting not too far from me.

Picking it up, I wondered if I should use lube. If I didn't, would it hurt more? Deciding not to risk it, I reached in my nightstand drawer and pulled out a small bottle of lube. Uncapping the lid, I poured a small amount into my hand and snapped the lid shut. Coating the toy, I nervously wiped my hands on my sheets and positioned the toy outside my hole. Then I slowly pushed it in.

"NGH!" I bit back a cry of pain when my muscles refused to part for the toy. It was so big and cold. Was it really supposed to go in there? My fingers went just fine! Why won't this?

Pain rippled more when I tried to push harder and my resolve wavered. Was it really worth this much pain? Giving up, I released my grip and eased the pressure.

Or at least, tried to.

Instead of easing the tension, my hand decided to go it alone again and pushed the toy in harder, finally breaching the ring of muscles around my hole. I bit my free hand to keep the cry of pain at bay as my other limb pushed incessantly against the toy, driving it in deeper. It pulled it out a few times, thrusting it right back in afterwards, trying to get my muscles to relax and get used to the motions.

Finally, I got used to it enough to ignore the pain just as my hand shoved the toy completely into me. With the hoop and string twirled tightly around my forefinger, my appendage pushed the cylinder deeper, reaching past my own limits. It was almost there, I could feel it.

Then my fingers yanked on the string and it slid back.

"NO!" I cried out, frustrated tears falling down my cheeks. I was so close! Why did it have to betray me now? Growing fed up with my hand's independent actions; I reached down with my other to get it to release the toy. Gripping my wrist, I tried to drag the rebellious hand away, but could barely move it a few centimeters. It fought against me tooth and nail, resisting my own command to move away!

"Stop, d*** it! I'll do it myself!" I growled, trying to get my own way. But it wouldn't listen. Instead, it pulled the toy out further, to where it breached my muscles again on its way out. "Stop it! I said st-!"

_Click_.

Just like that, my eyes went wide as I heard a humming fill my ears and a thrumming vibrate my body. The shock was enough to still my fight, enough to allow my limb to regain its own mind. With that, it pushed the toy in once again, making the trembling cylinder travel along my channel and deeper into my body. It grazed that spot that made my head spin and made my vision turn white. It was enough to make my breath falter.

My hand pushed the toy in further, thrusting it past that spot and centering it directly on it. Fireworks exploded behind my eyes and I felt myself fall to the side, legs splayed wide. All my senses were on fire, pleasure singing through my body. This was so much better than anything I had tried before! Better than fingers and definitely better than without.

Meanwhile, my other hand released my wrist and grabbed my cock, pumping it quickly in my eagerness to finish and feel that pleasant buzz once again. It only took but minutes to work towards my climax and then fall over that cliff. I screamed my release to the skies as I felt the cum splash against my thighs and sheets.

Panting with exertion, I just laid there, every nerve tingling while I enjoyed my high. Somewhere along the line, my hand had decided that the toy wasn't needed anymore and had withdrawn and turned the toy off. As I lay there, mind hazy and body ready for a good rest, I could only think one thing.

This toy was definitely my new best friend.

Phantomworks: thank you for staying with me once again.

**Alice: like we had a choice.**

Phantomworks: yeah. Anyway, please review and don't forget to vote on my poll!


	12. I missed! 6

Phantomworks; sorry it's taken me so long, but I've finally added some lemon to this!

**Alice; is it considered lemon?**

Phantomworks:… I don't know, really. Anyway, I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

I Missed! Ch. 6

"And how are you this morning, Yugi?" Yami asked me as he filled my food bowl with the sweet flakes of breakfast.

"Good good good!" I sang as I clumsily snatched one up. Biting into it, I munched happily as Yami smiled and went to eat his own meal. I've been doing a lot better after realizing that I must not be the only freak around.

Excuse me. Not the only _angel_ around.

Ever since that day, I've been learning how to use my limbs and filling my vo-cab-u-lar-ee as Yami says. Whatever that is. But I have been learning a lot more words. Maybe I'll even be as smart as Yami one day!

But until then, I am content to lounge around my cage and occasionally on the pillow that Yami sets out for me. He no longer closes or locks the door like before. I think he trusts me not to run away and I trust him not to attack me like before when I was just a bird. It's a mutual agreement.

Today, Yami sits at his usual desk with thick books sprawled about him. Looks like today is going to be another reading day.

Honestly, I don't know why he keeps reading. It's not like I need a reverse spell anymore. That's what he was looking for in the first place. He told me so himself when I finally asked him a few days ago. But now it's unneeded so I guess he must just like reading.

However, I don't.

Bored as I am, I decided to check out my new body. I hadn't yet had the chance to do so and I was feeling adventurous today.

Adventurous, that's a funny word.

My hands slid over the soft fabric of the 'dress' that Yami had made for me the first day that I was here. The cloth was plush but somewhat thin and it was rather dirty. Wrinkling my nose, I twisted the fabric higher and discovered that my body underneath the dress was vastly different from what I remembered as a bird.

Pale, pliable skin was revealed, smooth of any feather pores. Curious, I lifted the fabric off of my body completely, letting it bunch on my back with my wings. Soft but strong muscles had a smooth edge defined that flexed when I moved my hands across them. Two nub-like things were placed on different muscles and, curious, I pulled at them, gasping when a shock of something raced through my body.

Covering my mouth in embarrassment, I gave a quick look to Yami and sighed in relief when he hadn't even looked up from his book.

Pulling at them again, I was ready for the slight sting of… what was it? It was delight? No, it was too heavy for that. Pain? No, I liked it better than that. What was it?

Letting my hands drift downward, I found something that piqued my interest. I know I had dangling parts that I peed from, but for some reason, they were harder than before. Maybe they were tense?

When Yami was tense, he'd massage his shoulders. Would that work for this too?

Gripping it gently with one hand, I gently stroked it, unsure how to give myself a massage. Another shock of that… feeling raced through me, bringing fire to my blood. It felt so good! It needed a name!

Stroking a few more times, I realized that instead of getting softer, my… what was it that Yami called it? Cock? Penis? Was getting harder. And my nuts (cause that's what they looked like) were tensing too, a coil in my stomach tightening a bit.

I definitely had to ask Yami about this.

But that would wait until after my curiosity was sated. Moving my hands further down (promising to myself that I would get back to that wonderful feeling in a second), I ran my fingers over my new legs, all the way down to my feet and… toes? I giggled slightly when my fingertips brushed the soft bottoms of my feet, giving a… ticklish sensation.

Up the backs of my legs was smooth again, until I reached up to where I sat. Crouching a bit, I went by touch alone to map out my form. Smooth… round… wait, what was that?

My eyes shot open.

Was that… a hole?

Why did I have a hole in my body?

Where did it lead?

Did something else make it while I wasn't looking?

Was the something still in there!

Fear rose up in my throat as I tried to dig my fingers in, but the hole was too narrow and dry. Whining softly, I brought my fingers back around to look at them with concern.

Maybe only one could fit? But the hole was still very dry.

Moving my tongue around, I realized that there was water in my mouth.

Water worked well for wetting things, right?

Sticking my fingers in my mouth, I coated them quickly and tried again. I found the hole easily enough, but from my position, I could only get the tip of one in before my arms started to ache. Huffing in frustration, I sat back on my haunches again.

Wait a minute, what if I go down _between_ my legs? I mean, it's the same hole, just a different way!

Eager to try the idea out, I sat back further, leaning against the iron rungs of my cage. My fingers slipped down my body, down past my cock and nuts and past a smooth area that gave me tingles when I touched it. Down further, I soon found the hole and quickly attacked it with my fingers.

The first finger wedged itself in quite easily, though I groaned at the uncomfortable feeling. It felt weird to have something in there when nothing had been before. Around my finger, the skin felt tight and hot, constricting when I moved my legs together. Constricting wasn't a good thing if I wanted to get the other fingers in.

Reluctantly moving my legs wider apart, I worked a second finger in, first the tip, then slowly the rest until I could fit both in with a small echo of pain. Going with the flow, I tried to fit a third in, but pain blossomed as only the tip forced itself in and I whimpered as I pulled it back out.

Looks like I'd have to explore with only two fingers.

Pushing them in deeper, I moved them around a bit, squirming at the feeling of something moving inside of me, stirring up my instincts. I shuddered when flesh constricted around them and vaguely wondered what it would feel like on my sensitive cock.

Another shiver wracked my body as my unoccupied hand slowly slid up the base of my cock to the tip. It felt so good!

As I did so, I felt something change down below, something twitching. Digging my fingers in deeper, I could almost reach the thing, almost…!

"GYAHH!" I cried out when stars burst beneath my eye lids.

"Wha-Yugi?"

What was this feeling? It sent fire down my spine and flames of desire through my blood. I wanted more, I _needed_ more!

Strokes grew harder as I lost myself to the onslaught of this feeling. Fingers dug deeper, pressing against that spot and when that soon lost the same power, they stroked it as well, massaging it and creating an un-ending streak of that warmth.

It was so much, I felt like I might drown…

Then I needed to pee.

I could feel the pressure rising, but didn't want to stop my work, didn't want the feeling to go away. The coil in my stomach tightened more, joined by the fire that ran rampant through my body. Then, all at once, it released.

I screamed.

White streams of something that definitely wasn't pee spouted from my cock and my actions froze. White covered my vision and I could only lie panting (when had I fallen over?). Just as my vision returned, I looked up into startled red eyes.

Yami had been watching?

That thought echoed in my head as my eyes closed and I fell asleep, exhausted.

~Out of the cage~

Yami could only stare in shock as the small creature fell asleep, seemingly happy with his deed. Red eyes scoured the small body, seeing it in a way that they hadn't before.

But he shouldn't think like that! There was no possible way they could-!

Or was there?

"Yami, I'm here." A gruff voice called out, making the wizard jump. Quickly nudging Yugi's fingers out of the pale body, Yami covered the cage with a cloth so as to hide the small angel's indecency before Seto wandered in.

The brunette stopped, "What's with that look on your face?"

"What look?"

"That one that says you did or saw something that you shouldn't have, or are about to." Seto stated, crossing his arms.

"Well, you know how Yugi's been acting more like a human lately."

"In small quantities, yes." Seto said.

"Well…" Yami rubbed the back of his head, "He discovered how to masturbate today."

"He…" Seto's eyes widened, "HE WHAT-!"

"Yeah. Masturbation. And he did so while I was, um… sitting right next to him?" Yami laughed nervously.

"He-and- You-! I-! You! You can't tell me you were turned on by it!" Seto begged, not wanting something else to mess up his seemingly perfect world.

"Um… maybe?"

"That's –That's just-! EW!" Seto scrambled for an oh-so-intelligent response.

"Hey! I don't make fun of _your_ kinks. So what if I _happen_ to be into bird bestiality and just so _happen_ to have a live porn show of it? It's not my fault!" Yami pouted.

"You got _hard_ from it!"

"Yes, I can see that quite clearly." Yami said looking down.

"Don't look at it!"

"Don't be such a nag! Why don't you go out and find yourself a dog or something! It will keep you company while I'm off ****ing an angel!" Yami grinned mischievously as Seto covered his ears.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT!" Seto screeched. "I'm leaving! Call me when you're done being weird!"

Yami just smiled as the brunette raced to the door and out into the cool spring air. "Now then, preparations must be made if I'm to keep my lovely pet happy."

Looking down at the half conceal face of his angel; he smiled lovingly, "Isn't that right, Yugi?"

Phantomworks; and there you have it.

**Alice: mmm…**

Phantomworks: there should only be one or two chapters left of this, one with actual lemon.

**Alice; yay!**

Phantomworks; so please review and tell me what you think.


	13. Charmer of the Charmed

Phantomworks; hey everyone, I'm sorry I haven't updated this in a while.

**Alice; she was struck by inspiration.**

Phantomworks; that being said, I hope you enjoy this… strange oneshot. I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

Charmer of the Charmed

"Come and see the amazing Snake Charmer! The highest skill and best in the lands of Khemet!" a street announcer shouted over the bustling crowd. "Here in the very heart of the capital city, he has brought a rarity for our eyes! The unique black amethyst cobra!"

The crowd of people all turned their ear at this. A rarity? Something that even the pharaoh of Khemet would have a hard time getting his hands on? Such a thing was being displayed for all to see?

Crowding around a small carpeted area, each person nearly trampled the one next to them in order to get a better view of the unique and deadly serpent. Suddenly, the announcer motioned for the crowd to be silent and an eerie hush fell in the area which caused other people who had not noticed the growing crowd before to fall silent as well.

Then, a slow, soothing music spread out over the crowd as the hooded Snake Charmer put his flute to his lips. As if in one mind, the crowd wavered a bit, swaying to the gentle music before all gasped as a graceful serpentine head lifted from a woven basket in front of the musician.

A gorgeous black snake rose from the basket, swaying to the hypnotic music. The bare control of such a dangerous creature excited the crowd as the continued unendingly with the repetitive music. The black serpent crawled completely out of the basket, much to the crowd's fear and delight. As its body was revealed, one could tell exactly why it was named the black amethyst cobra.

The usual hood that a cobra had was studded with amethyst scales in a pattern that trailed down the rest of its body. Its underbelly was such a dark violet that it almost seemed black, yet one could still distinguish between the two. Instead of two beady eyes, the snake had a set of bright if not glazed amethyst eyes. The sheer exotic beauty of the serpent had the crowd under its spell.

The only one not affected was the Snake Charmer.

Heavily hooded in light clothing, the only thing you could see of the Charmer was his hands and mouth with which he played his haunting melody. Beneath his hood, a pair of bright amethyst eyes (so much like the snake's) stared at his serpent, entrancing the dangerous beast.

The snake shifted, slithering up the charmer's leg, twining around his stomach before coiling around his neck. This made the crowd gasp in shock and fearful enthusiasm. In response, the serpent hissed and spat, flaring its hood in an angry show, but it did not bite the Charmer.

Having had enough of this show, the Charmer switched beats, quickening a bit before slowing, signaling that the demonstration was almost over. Sensing this, the rare serpent slunk down his chest, pooling in his lap before traveling over his legs. Scaling the short basket, the snake coiled its lower half in first before giving the crowd one last look. Silently, it sunk below the rim of the basket and the Charmer quickly but on the lid, ending his song and the show.

A moment of silence passed before the crowd exploded in applause and threw coins into the offered basket. The street announce passed the basket around as the Charmer sent another the other way. Both kept an eye on their baskets to make sure that neither were stolen as they were full of change.

After a few minutes, the crowd dispersed, leaving the street announcer and the Charmer alone.

"Pretty good haul today." The announcer said, slipping into a less than informal speech.

"Yeah, pretty good for a day's work." The Charmer said in a surprisingly boyish voice. Throwing back his hood, he wiped the sweat from his brow. Gold bangs fluttered in the wind as a mane of black hair sprung up behind them, shining violet in the sun. "But I think it's a little too hot to be working."

"Well, if you don't work, you don't eat."

"True." The boy said, counting his money for that day. He had enough for a late lunch and possibly a dinner if he played his cards right. Taking a certain amount from the stacks, he paid the street announcer. "Thanks for the help, Joe."

"Anytime, pal." The blonde said, taking off his turban to shake out the dust.

"As long as I pay, right?"

"Or give me food, either one." The blonde said with a grin, "hey! A man's gotta eat!"

"I know. I know!" the charmer smiled before handing over a bag of money. "Thanks again."

"You know where ta find me! See ya around, Yugi." The blonde waved as he walked off. Waving as his friend disappeared in the crowd, Yugi heave a big sigh as he secured the snake's basket and slipped it onto his shoulders in pack form. Weaving between the crowd, he made his way to a small stand that had a man trying to sell some freshly slaughtered meats.

"Come one, come all, come to my meat stall!" he shouted, waving a noisemaker in the air. When he spied Yugi, he hissed, "Away with you! Street rats ain't allowed near my meats!"

"I'm not a street rat." Yugi answered calmly, having gotten the same reaction everywhere he went. "I'm a street performer and I'm in need of meat."

When the stall owner gave him a distrusting look, Yugi pulled out a few coins. "I have money."

Just like that, the man's tune was changed. "Of course, my good man. What be today's fancy?"

"Just something small. Some for me and my partner." Yugi answered, pointing out a medium sized bird that was strung up by its scaly feet. Paying the appropriate money, Yugi hurried off with the dead bird's ankles firmly in his grasp. Pushing his way through the crowds, he made it to the small clearing that he had been spending the past few days in as the inn refused to let a snake inside its buildings.

But that was fine. Yugi was close with his snake and knew that if he ever got in a pinch, it would be more than willing to fend off even the biggest wild animal. Besides, the snake was his life, his way of making a living. He couldn't part with it, even for a few hours.

Now, he sat and set the basket on the ground in front of him. With a set of coarse stones, Yugi set a small pile of sticks to the side on fire, keeping the flames within a small ring of stones. Skinning the bird, the teen cut out its inner organs and set them on the ground for later. With the hollowed bird and a long stick, Yugi strung the carcass over a set of two poles and let it start to cook over the fire.

Turning his attention to the basket, he unbound it and lifted the lid. Scooting away a bit to show respect, Yugi watched as the beautiful cobra slid from its home and coiled itself near the fire. Motioning to the pile of organs rich in protein and minerals, he said, "You can go ahead and eat."

As if understanding, the snake slithered over and licked up the first organ, the heart which was quickly followed by the stomach and so on. Once it had swallowed up everything, even the intestines, it flicked its tongue out as if to ask for more.

"There is no more." Yugi said.

It gave him an accusatory look.

"Hey, I know you wanted the larger bird, but it had the foaming mouth disease. We would've both died." He said as he turned the bird to cook on another side. Seeming to take this excuse well, the snake returned to its former place beside the fire, heating its coldblooded veins. As they were in shade and the Ra was making its way to the bottom horizon, the air was much cooler than before. It took a lot more heat to keep it ready and active.

Like it would need to when those two palace soldier decided to make their way over here.

"I think we'll need to move locations soon. There weren't as many people today as usual. We're starting to wear out our welcome." Yugi said, poking the fire a bit and watching his bird roast. "If we had another act, and I'm not saying that you aren't good! But if we had another act, I think we could get a few more days of interest before having to clear out again. Of course, that would be another mouth to feed."

The serpent listened with half an ear as it reared up when the men decided that now was the time to approach. They did so carefully, afraid of bringing the cobra's wrath upon them.

"Sir. Are you the snake charmer?" one asked.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Yugi asked, innocently unaware of the way his snake was behaving. "I signed all the right paperwork to enter the capital city. Is something amiss? Am I not allowed to let my snake out?"

"No, there is something else."

"Else?" Yugi parroted, looking to his snake that was hissing, defending his master. He whistled a quick tune that had the snake pulling back and coiling itself around his wrist like a unique bracelet.

"The king wishes to see you." The other said.

"The king? Me? Why?" he asked.

"No questions. Put your snake away and follow us." The first said.

"Can I at least finish eating? I paid good money for this!" he protested.

"If you absolutely must. But be quick about it!"

o

The king was not what Yugi expected him to be. He had heard from all over the kingdom about the Egyptian pharaoh's exotic looks. Some had said that he had crimson eyes that burned with the light of the dying sun. Others had said that his looks would rival the most beautiful of angels or devilish of demons alike.

But those were all thoughts, opinions, and rumors.

The man before him was quite ordinary looking. His tan skin was rather pale, meaning that he stayed inside most days rather than sneaking off as some rumors told. His eyes were made of the bluest sapphire, not the red of the 'dying sun' as Yugi had come to know. And his garments were rather plain for one of royal blood.

"You entered this land claiming to be a snake charmer." The pharaoh said, giving a look that asked for confirmation.

"Yes." Yugi said. "Is there a problem? I would have thought the guards of the front gates would have kept me from passing."

"No, there is no problem, rather, I have a request." The pharaoh stated, pulling out a scroll.

"If it is to play for your court, I'm sorry but I must decline." Yugi said, "My snake does not like large crowds of important guests as they seem to not like him."

"That is not what my request is, though it is good to know." The man said. Unrolling the scroll, he laid it flat, "Do you know how to read?"

Yugi's eyebrows furrowed. "Only a little of the daily writing of my village, but nothing as respected as the temple language that is most common here."

"Then I shall read this for you." The man said. Smoothing out the page, he began, "There have been numerous sightings of a snake-like creature just outside the palace walls. Livestock have gone missing wherever it is sighted and those who try to follow it have disappeared."

Yugi swallowed thickly, not liking where this was going.

"Twenty soldiers and our finest temple priest have been sent to kill it." blue eyes flicked up to his own, freezing him in place, "Only the priest survived."

"What does this have to do with me?

"Based on the priest's testimony and other sightings, the monster is half man, half snake."

"A naga." Yugi gasped. Such a creature was rare in Egypt as they mainly resided in India to the Northwest. To him, a snake charmer, the chance to see such a real live naga would be the highlight of his _life_.

"I see you are familiar with magical creatures." The pharaoh said.

"Only a few. Mainly the ones to look out for while traveling."

"A good decision for one who travels a lot." The pharaoh said, "Now, we've been able to confirm the temporary location of this monster based on the range of its hunting grounds. Scouts have been sent out and a few have returned with news of a cave a few miles south of the city."

"The others?" Yugi asked.

"Have not returned at all." A cold silence filled the conference room that they were sitting in.

"While I feel deeply troubled by these events, I don't see how they connect to me." Yugi said, a slight look of confusion on his face.

"When I first approved your entry into our capital, I thought nothing of it. Now I can see that the gods sent you exactly for this purpose." The pharaoh said, "Where citizens, soldiers and priests have failed, maybe a snake charmer will succeed."

"Excuse me?" Yugi asked, his eyes growing wide. This man didn't seriously think of sending _him_, did he!

"You know of the naga already. You know that it will not attack unless provoked. All I'm asking is that you give it a try. Try to charm it with your powers as a charmer and get it to leave us alone." The pharaoh pleaded, or as much as a man of his status would. "We will compensate you for your troubles."

"…" Yugi could fell the light weight of his coin purse weighing heavily on his thoughts, "How much?"

"One thousand pieces of gold." The pharaoh said, a servant dropping the bag on the table beside him.

"O-One thousand?" Yugi felt his mouth go dry.

"Is that not enough?" the pharaoh asked, genuinely concerned. He needed to get rid of the 'snake' problem as soon as possible, before more people were hurt.

"N-no, I just-!"

"Then let me add something else to the deal." The blue-eyed pharaoh said. "I'm sure that your act takes a lot out of your snake, a black amethyst cobra if I'm not mistaken? In addition to the thousand pieces of gold, I will give you an equally rare creature."

"What?" Yugi asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"A golden viper."

His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, "I thought that was just a myth!"

"No, it's quite real. I keep it in a large basket in my study. It certainly keeps the vermin at bay, but if it means the safety of my kingdom, I'll gladly give it up."

"I-I don't know if I can accept that. Especially if I don't succeed." Yugi said. Such a rare animal could be his? It didn't seem possible!

"Then how about this." the pharaoh said, all business-like, "You try to tame the beast. If you fail, you walk away with the thousand gold pieces. If you succeed, you shall have both that and my exotic beast. Do we have a deal?"

Sitting back in his seat, Yugi thought hard. It seemed like the rewards were awfully high for something like this, but there was the chance that he could be killed by the naga too. But if he could succeed, he would be set for years and have a new act to train as well.

And the pharaoh seemed desperate. If he asked the next snake charmer that came his way, would the performer be as selfless as Yugi? Or would he try to take more than was proper for such a deed?

"Okay, I'll do it." Yugi said, giving the pharaoh a determined look.

"Excellent." The pharaoh looked to another servant who came forward with another scroll, switching it with the one in front of them. Rolling it out, the pharaoh turned it around to show Yugi a map of the city and the surrounding lands.

"As I said before, the beast has made its home a few miles south of here, in a cave just beyond the oasis. No animal will go that way, as if they sense the brute's presence, so you will have to travel on foot. Is there anything you need before you depart?"

"A couple of miles is at least a half day's journey on foot." Yugi mumbled to himself. Looking up, he requested, "Some food and water, enough for me and my snake."

"Your snake?" the pharaoh questioned.

"It is my act. If I am to trick it into watching my performance and charming it, I must keep my snake healthy." Yugi explained.

"I see. I agree to your request." The pharaoh said, "Is there anything else?"

"Not that I can think of." Yugi said, a bit embarrassed at the way the pharaoh was looking at him, like a miracle or godsend. Come to think of it, the pharaoh had mentioned the latter.

"Good. Then you will leave come morning." The pharaoh said.

"Morning?" Yugi wondered aloud. Glancing at the window, he realized that the sun had long since set.

"Yes. Nighttime is when bandits and thieves come out of hiding and when the beast leaves to hunt. There will be no use going to its lair when it will be vacant." The pharaoh said. "Tis better to wait until morning when the beast is returning for the day."

_Then I wake up its nap and anger it enough to kill me._ Yugi thought. He knew his own cobra liked its sleep and did not like to be awoken for anything other than a show. _Maybe I'll just wait until it awakens on its own._

"Is there a time limit for this quest?" he asked.

"There is not, but if you take longer than three days, I will assume that you have failed and are dead." The pharaoh said disinterested. "Of course, you will understand if I then give the quest to another."

"Of course." Yugi said, though his stomach quivered. Even the pharaoh knew of the difficulty of this task. A time limit of three days was gracious.

"Great. Now then." The pharaoh stood, "You will be allowed to stay in the palace for tonight. An armed guard will escort you to the beast's lair in the morning."

"If I could," Yugi started, "I would rather go alone. No use in bringing unnecessary weapons and soldiers. It may send the wrong message."

"Too true." The pharaoh said, "Very well. Tomorrow you shall leave alone with your supplies. Return quickly to tell us of the news."

"Of course, you highness." Yugi said, bowing lowly. When he straightened, the pharaoh was already gone, off to do other business before he retired to his quarters in the early hours of the morning. A servant off to his right motioned for Yugi to follow him.

Leading the snake charmer, the servant marched him down one hallway after another, so many turns that Yugi was sure he'd get lost. Finally they stopped outside of a quaint looking room.

"You room for the night." The servant said passively.

"Thank you." Yugi said, walking into the open doorway to the small but lavishly decorated room.

"I will return for you in the morning." The servant informed him. "Until then, may you dwell over your quest and may the gods' luck shine upon you."

"Thanks." Yugi said as he sat on the bed. He glanced down at the polished floors for only a second and when he looked up, the servant was gone.

Must be a palace thing.

Untying his hooded cloak, Yugi laid the garment across a chair before he settled his basket in the crook of the arm. Whistling a soft, soothing tune, Yugi untied the basket and removed the lid, keeping perfectly calm as his serpent slithered up his arm.

"Good evening." He greeted, "You'll never guess what the pharaoh asked of me!"

The snaked hissed quietly.

"Oh, right. You were there!" Yugi rubbed the back of his head as the snake climbed up his arm and coiled around his bicep, head resting on his shoulder. It flicked its tongue out, tasting the air.

"Well, tomorrow is sure to be interesting." Yugi said, thinking aloud. The dark snake gave him a look. He tilted his head to the side, "Of course I won't hurt the naga. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. But I'll do everything in my power to fix things between the pharaoh and such a beautiful creature. He's too rare to even think of killing off."

A low hiss.

"No, I'm not replacing you. Even _I'm_ not _that_ stupid." Yugi said, "the naga is probably more intelligent than me anyway and too big to carry around. You are the perfect partner and I wouldn't give you up or trade you for anything."

A flick of the tongue.

"The viper?" Yugi gave the snake a sly look, "Are you sure? What if it's a girl?"

That got an excited look from the snake, as if it could see the viper itself. A long, thin tongue licked scaly lips.

"Okay, don't get too excited now." Yugi said. "I have to play peace-maker first. I can only get the viper if I succeed in getting the naga to move or at least get him to leave the villagers and live-stock alone. And I'll only succeed _that_ if he doesn't _eat me first_."

Yugi shuddered.

The snake rubbed up against his cheek.

"Yes, I know you'll protect me no matter what, but a naga is… well, let's just say it won't be the easiest of quests." Yugi said, wincing at his own foolishness for agreeing to it. Well, he was in for it now, no way to just give it up after he said he'd try. Try or fail and if he failed…

"Enough of these depressing thoughts!" he suddenly declared. Unwrapping the cobra from his arm, he placed the snake on the second pillow before lying down, "We'll sleep now and worry about it in the morning."

And he did just that.

o

"Do you have everything you need?" the pharaoh asked.

"Yes. I have my snake, my flute and some food." Yugi said.

"Then I wish you the luck of the world." The pharaoh said, bowing his head slightly. Blushing brightly at the immense sign of respect, Yugi bowed lowly.

"Thank you my pharaoh. I only wish to aid my homeland in any way I can." Yugi said before straightening and exiting the palace. Behind him the pharaoh watched our hero as he made his way through the city and across the sand dunes.

A small dark haired child came up beside him, watching as well, "Set, will he be able to calm Atem's mind and bring him back?"

"I don't know, Moku, I honestly don't know." The blue-eyed pharaoh said, resting tired eyes, "But he is all the hope that Khemet has left."

With that, they fell silent, watching as the small teen with the fate of Egypt in his hands walked out the front gates and into the pre-dawn light.

o

"This must be the place." Yugi said as he looked up from his map. He had crossed through an oasis just moments ago and an outcropping of rocks stood about half a mile from his current location. As he grew closer, they reared up in front of him, their height making him feel miniscule in comparison.

As if he didn't worry about his short height enough.

"I wonder if the naga is in…" he muttered to himself. Looking around, he spotted a dark hole in the rocks that looked more than big enough for a person to walk through. "Guess I should start there."

Walking over, he inspected the sandy ground, taking note of the curving marks that were brushed into the sand, as if a serpentine body had dragged itself through. The marks hadn't faded much due to the wind, so they were made pretty recently.

"Is it still awake?" Yugi wondered aloud, taking a few tentative steps into the cave.

At first, it was dark. A small stream of water dripped into a puddle on the floor somewhere further in. Looking around rather blindly, Yugi didn't see anything, so he took a few more steps in.

"Who are you?" an ominous voice snapped, making Yugi stumble backwards in his fear. His eyes flicked around blindly, looking for its source when an unnatural light filled the vast cavern.

He gasped.

Right in front of him was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Golden scales reflected the dim light from something that looked like a lantern but not at the same time. Long coils looped around stalagmites and wrapped around large boulders that had made their home in the cave.

Following the teasingly smooth body up, his breath caught in his throat when the scales suddenly turned to skin.

Dark caramel colored, tanned by only the sun itself, the smooth skin stretched taunt over a slim but muscular body. Tight abs flexed as the naga shifted, weaving behind a few stalagmites. This action made Yugi's eyes trace up a mouthwatering chest to lean arms and further still to lock eyes with the most magical set of jewels he would ever see.

Bright rubies glowed in the unnatural light, unnamed emotions flying through them before Yugi could comprehend. Then they hardened and the emotions were hidden.

"Are you dumb?" the naga asked, his rich voice echoing in the cave, making Yugi's heartbeat quicken. "Have you no tongue?"

"N-no I…" Yugi stuttered before blushing bright red in embarrassment. This was his big moment and he was bumbling around like an idiot.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" the bright rubies narrowed murderously. "Have you come to see the 'terrifyingly gruesome' naga?"

"No!" Yugi shouted, his voice echoing harshly in his own ears. Trying to cover up his mistake, he took several steps forward, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm, "I haven't come to gawk or anything like that! You are much too…"

He stopped himself before he could embarrass himself further.

"Too what? Too much of a rarity? Of an unusual find? Or is it that I'm more beast than human?" the crimson eyes flashed. When Yugi shook his head no, he demanded, "Then what? What am I to you?"

"…Beautiful…" Yugi whispered, unsure that it was his own voice that said that word. His response stopped the naga up short. Curious, the creature peaked out from his hiding spot and for the first time, Yugi saw the similarities between them, though he did not draw attention to it.

"You speak differently than those imbeciles sent from the humans' palace." the naga noted, curling around a boulder to lounge on its peak. "Where are you from?"

"I… I am from the palace as well." Yugi said. The naga hissed angrily, recoiling from him, "But I'm not here to harm you! I'm merely a performer; I have no wish to harm someone so beautiful!"

"Why should I trust you?" the naga demanded, circling Yugi untrustingly. "The humans from the palace all come bearing knives and spears! They come for my blood! What makes you different?"

"I told you!" Yugi insisted, "I'm a performer! I carry no weapon other than my flute!"

"So you say!" the snake man hissed. When a softer his answered him, his eyes narrowed. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Yugi asked, playing dumb. He didn't want to bring his snake into this yet. With an angry naga, it was highly possible that having a snake as a 'pet' would be taken the wrong way.

"A hiss. I definitely heard it, so don't try to tell me I didn't!" the naga said, circling him again, his thick body pulling closer to the teen, but still giving him a wide berth, "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing!" Yugi swore.

"You best tell me before I rip out your throat and spill your guts!" the naga commanded, an insane fire in his eyes.

Swallowing thickly, Yugi looked back to the entrance, wondering if he could escape only to turn full circle without once seeing it. Around him was a large coil, golden scales rippling as the naga moved. Before he had even realized it, the thick body had covered the cave's entrance, trapping him in with an enraged naga.

No matter what he did now, his fate was sealed.

Letting out a trembling breath, Yugi sank to his knees, pulling the hooded cloak from his shoulders. The naga stopped to watch him, also taking note of their similarities. Both had dark raven hair on their heads, but with unusual blonde bangs. Yugi's framed his face whereas the naga's had a wilder look, some locks standing straight up. This wasn't missed by the naga whose eyes were trained on the teen's trembling form.

"I told you I was a performer." Yugi began, setting his basket on the ground. "In truth, I am a snake charmer."

"So you were coming to try your hand at taming me!" the naga hissed, an answering one coming from the basket.

"Even _I'm_ not that foolish." Yugi said, a slight bitter tone in his voice. "You are much too smart for any tamer or charmer alike. There is no way that I would have been able to trick you with any flute playing, no matter how good."

"Then why are you here?" the naga asked.

"The pharaoh had sent me to see if I could negotiate." Yugi fished out his flute, checking it to make sure it wasn't broken. "I was to try to get you to leave the villagers and live-stock alone or leave the area. It seems he did not want to send more soldiers after you."

"Just as well. The first twenty were killed too easily." The naga licked his lips as if remembering the taste of their blood. Shuddering, Yugi untied the weave on his basket.

"If I were to try, he would have paid me one thousand gold pieces." Yugi said.

"That is a lot by human standards?" the naga asked.

"Enough to keep me fed and clothed for years." Yugi answered. "That was only if I tried. If I succeeded, he had sworn to give me a golden viper, one from his own study."

"I was unaware that there was such an animal in these parts." The naga muttered idly.

"I was unaware they even existed." Yugi said as he spread his coat on the ground and settled criss-crossed on it.

"And what if you failed?" the naga said.

"The only way I would have failed is if I do not return, in which case, he gives the task to another." Yugi said. "As it is now, can I safely assume that tonight is the last night I live?"

"Yes, you will make a very tasty snack."

"Might I ask one last request?" Yugi pleaded.

"What is it?"

"The first is not to harm my partner in my absence. By partner, I mean snake." Yugi added quickly. "The second-!"

"You said one." The naga pointed out.

"But this was more for _your_ benefit than mine." Yugi said. The naga motioned for him to continue. "Allow me to perform one last time before I am killed and eaten."

"And you won't put up a fight when the time comes?"

"I cannot promise that." Yugi said, "It is every animal's instinct to struggle when on the verge of death."

"Very well." The naga said, resting on his rock again. "If you play well, I may just kill you quickly."

Mischievous crimson eyes shot Yugi a glance, "Let us see if you can lure me, o Snake Charmer, into the spell of your song."

Even though he would soon be eaten, the way the naga said those words made Yugi's body heat up quickly. Breaking eye contact, the snake charmer licked his lips nervously, wetting the skin before he brought the flute to his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he began his last performance.

_Du-du-da-dum-da-_

_Du-du-da-di-da-di-da_

Yugi closed his eyes in concentration. Taking only a small pause, he lifted the lid of the basket and allowed his friend to join in his last song.

_Du-du-da-dum-da-_

_Du-du-da-di-da-di-da_

The snake rose gently, silently, body swaying to the beat of the music. Its head swung slowly from left to right, 'entranced' but the rhythm and beats. Its eyes were glazed over as it flicked its tongue out.

_Du-du-da-dum-da-_

_Du-du-da-di-da-di-da_

The naga watched silently, resting his chin on his arms as he watched the young animal trainer. His eyes started to close, so soothed was he by musician's music. Maybe he would keep this human. He was quite skilled at his performance.

_Du-du-da-dum-da-_

_Du-du-da-di-da-di-da_

Yugi's eyes shot open when he heard a voice accompany his flute, a humming that buzzed in his ears. He looked up to see the naga shifting, weaving a bit in sync with the beat of his tune. Red eyes were closed as he swayed in a way that wasn't unlike the black amethyst cobra.

_Du-du-da-dum-da-_

_Du-du-da-di-da-di-da_

_Am I… hypnotizing him?_ Yugi wondered as he continued to play. His eyes were focused on the breathtaking scene in front of him. Never did he think that such a wonderful individual would be dancing to his music. Truly a delight for his last performance.

_Du-du-da-dum-da-_

_Du-du-da-di-da-di-da_

Suddenly, red eyes flew open, locking with startled amethyst as the golden body continued to dance. Yugi watched, entranced by the way that lithe body moved, but unable to fully look away from those piercing eyes.

_Du-du-da-dum-da-_

_Du-du-da-di-da-di-da_

Continuing to hum, the naga smirked when he saw the human's eyes glaze over. The teen was really too easy to trick. Though his fingers still played the notes with absolute certainty, his mind was no longer focused on the task of performing. Even his snake noticed after the human played the same chorus for the fifth time.

Smiling when the chorus started again, the naga parted his lips, allowing his voice to intertwine with the seductive music.

_You be-long to me_

_All your soul-and-bo-od-dy_

Yugi blinked when the naga began to sing, the words not making sense to his suddenly hazy mind. What was the naga saying? Was he going to kill him now?

_There's no-need for es-cape_

_You are caught-with-in-my-gaze_

The black amethyst cobra looked back and forth between its master and the naga. Never had it seen something like this. His master never once acted this way during a performance. Of course, he had never entertained a naga before, was that what was messing him up? But the naga didn't seem to be harming them.

What was going on?

_You are caught-in my-trap_

_Now there is-no-turn-ing-back_

The naga's voice echoed in the vast cavern as he finished his small but powerful spell. His body still twisted to the music purely for the reason that he hadn't had such a wonderful performance in a long time. Now that an interesting human fell into his lap, who was he to get rid of such an opportunity?

Why not charm the snake charmer?

Humming along to the melody, he settled back down on the rock, feeling much freer than he had in a long time. Wanting to check his spell, he said rather lazily, "That's enough."

Immediately, the music stopped, but the human didn't lower the instrument from his lips. He merely sat there, staring straight ahead, hands still poised. His snake hissed, startled by the abrupt halt. Usually his master would give some sort of signal that he was coming to an end before slowly dwindling the music to silence.

Something was wrong.

"Do not fret, cobra." The naga said, beckoning the snake to him. The snake obeyed, knowing its king when it saw him. "He is merely under a spell of mine."

The snake flicked out its tongue.

"No. I have decided to keep him. He is unlike the others that venture here. He has value where the others are insignificant. If nothing else, he will keep me company and welcome me when I return from hunting." The naga said.

The snake hissed.

"No, I will not hurt him. Not in the way that you are thinking anyway." The naga said dismissively. "Tell me, was he good to you?"

The snake licked its lips and blinked owlishly at the snake man.

"Ah, I see. So you two looked out for each other. A very unique relationship from what I've seen of humans." The naga said. "I will treat him justly, the same as he treated you. I will keep him well-fed and healthy. Not to mention giving him a good workout from time to time…"

The snake hid its face.

"Too much information?" the naga asked, laughing a rich laugh. "You must excuse me; it has been sometime since I've had company that wasn't bent on killing me and bringing my head back to their king."

He stroked the snake's head then, soothing both the creature and himself. "You may stay with us or leave, it matters not to me."

The snake flicked out its tongue.

"That is fine. I assume that you'll sleep in the basket that you arrived in?"

The snake nodded.

"Then do what you wish. I have a few things to tend to." The naga yawned, "Right after a well-deserved nap."

That being said, he coiled up the length of his body in one large pile, trying to conserve heat while he slept.

_Aren't humans warm-blooded?_ He wondered idly. Turning to the teen, he called, "Human. Come here."

"Yes. Master." The human said in a dazed voice. The teen placed his flute on the ground carelessly as he stood and scurried over to do his master's bidding. "What is it that you wish of me, Master?"

"Keep me warm while I sleep." The naga ordered. The human blinked, confused.

"How, Master?" he asked. It seemed this spell had taken more than just his will. It took a lot of his intelligence as well.

He would have to be more specific.

"Come up here." He ordered. Hurrying to obey, the teen clambered up the rocks nearby instead of crawling up the naga's skin. Once he was high enough, the naga snagged him and deposited him inside the thick coils.

"M-Master?" the teen whimpered at the proximity that he was to the coils. It wasn't a little known fact that there were snakes from the south that squeezed their prey to death before they were eaten. The human merely wondered what he had done to incur such wrath.

"Shh. I'm tired." the naga said, constricting his coils so that he was pressed up against the warm body as close as he could. The little human squirmed nervously. Wrapping an arm around the teen's shoulders, he nuzzled the soft, warm neck, "Stop squirming and sleep."

Immediately, the teen fell still and drifted off, wrapped in the coils of his new Master. The naga followed swiftly after.

Phantomworks: so what did everyone think? Tell me please!

**Alice; should she continue or just leave it as is?**

Phantomworks: please review!


	14. I missed! 7

Phantomworks: yay! The last chapter of I Missed!

**Alice: unless you make a puppy shipping.**

Phantomworks: well, that would be put in a different oneshot thing, now wouldn't it?

**Alice; … this is called Yugioh oneshots. Technically it's Yugioh.**

Phantomworks; huh… I should change that… I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

I Missed! Ch 7

Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, I watched Yami drag yet another long, thick blanket to what I now called 'the nest'. You're probably wondering why I'm sighing and being so depressed lately.

Well, it all started a few days ago.

It was right after I had spent a few hours checking out my own body; where everything was and how it worked. For some reason, Yami had woken up earlier, donned his clothes and robes and ran out to do a quick errand in town.

Or at least, that's what he told me.

Several hours later, he came home with dozens (is that the right word?) of bags filled with rolls of what looked like fur or sheep's wool. From there, he set them down and started to sort through them, separating the thicker piles from the thinned ones.

It was only when he rolled one out that I realized they were blankets. After sorting through them, he drew a circle in the corner of the room in ink along with magic symbols. Pulling the thick blankets over to the circle, he set them in the middle before uttering a quick incantation. Immediately, water and some bubbly stuff set to work on cleaning them as best they could.

As soon as he was done with that, he left the spell to work and sat down next to my cage like usual and grabbed a magic book to start reading through. Now you might think that this was normal and it is, but something was different.

From the time he came home, he didn't once look at me or say hello.

At first, I thought it was because he was tired from being in the human 'town' all day, but he acted similar the next day, and the day after that. Every morning, he would wake up and go over to where the cleaning spell was at work, changing the blankets or tweaking the spell so a different scent would fill the air. Never once looking at me.

I called to him once, when I'd had enough of this change, but he only looked up, smiled, and went back to work.

I didn't know how to react to that.

I had thought about calling out to him again, but then he picked up a pair of dry blankets and dragged them to his room. That was when I saw it.

He had taken his own blankets off of his bed and used magic to make the rectangle shaped mattress into a circle. Then he had put the blankets back on and built up a thick layer that fell over the sides of the bed. The two new blankets went on next, shoved on in a rumpled manner in a semi-circle and that was when I knew.

He was making a nest.

It all made sense.

It was still spring time when birds and other creatures found mates to live the next year of their lives or even their entire lives with. The male would create a nest and try to entice the females into his home and the two would be mates for however long they needed. It was the same with wolves and cats, foxes and deer.

Why would a human be any different?

No wonder he was ignoring me. He had a nest to build and a female to woo. I was probably only a burden.

I couldn't even make my own nest to garner the attention of females as there were no other 'angels' in the vicinity of the house. I should know. I've stared out the window often enough the past few days.

So here I sit, watching him with sorrowful eyes. Why did he need a mate? She would get in the way as my friends had often said. Females only want attention on them and then their babies, with the feeding and the sitting on the eggs. A mate would take away his time for magic and children were certainly loud in their own right.

Would he even need me when he found a mate? Or would he turn me loose?

Would he still have time to talk and teach me? Or would I be a burden?

Would he be able to share his time with me? Or would his mate steal him away?

The more I thought about it, the less happy I felt for him to get a mate. I didn't want his attention on someone else. I wanted his eyes on me and me alone. Yes, it must be… what's that word?

Selfish. It was selfish of me to want that, to keep him back from his happiness, but what else could I do? He was my only friend other than Seto, the icy wizard who hadn't been seen for several days now.

Why couldn't I be enough for him? Why can't I be enough for _anyone_?

Depressed, I barely ate any food, just enough to keep Yami happy and not get him worried over me. Playing suicidal wouldn't help me now. Yami had too much on his hands. It's close to the end of mating season and he's _only now_ starting to build his nest. I would've started long ago and would've been in a much different place.

But maybe that's how humans are?

A sudden shift to my right had me jumping in surprise, twisting to see who it was. Startled, I was almost shocked to find Yami sitting down beside me in his usual chair instead of running around like a hyper-active bee.

"Phew!" he said, wiping sweat off his brow. "Boy, am I tired."

He leaned back in his chair, his arms dangling at his side limply. "Sorry I haven't talked to you much lately, Yugi. I've been busy…"

"Making a nest." I finished bluntly.

"What?" his eyes jerked to mine, as if surprised that I knew what he was doing.

"You got lots of blankets. Blankets keep warm. Warm make nest." I tried to explain with my limited but growing vocabulary.

"Oh, I suppose so…" he trailed off before grinning sheepishly. "I was trying to keep it a surprise."

"Why?" I asked. Why would he try to keep it a surprise from me? Getting a mate was great (or so I've heard) so he shouldn't have to hide it. Even if I wished he wouldn't try.

If he was hiding it, did that mean he didn't want me to know? Would getting a mate change more than just his attention?

Was he really going to throw me out?

"Oh, no reason." He brushed my concerns off carelessly. "Hey, I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Help?" that was a new word. I wonder what it meant.

"Yes, help. I need you to do something for me that would make me very happy." He said, a soft smile on his lips. (A/N: _very_ happy)

Oh! I can do that! I like making him happy. It means that he smiles more. He's pretty when he smiles.

"Yes." I said, agreeing and bobbing my head. My attempt at nodding made him chuckle before he opened my cage door and grabbed a magic book at his side. As I fluttered down to the opening and peered out, I asked, "What help?"

"Just a quick spell." He said as he turned around to flip through the book. "Oh and if you could take off your clothes and leave them there, that would be better. They might get ruined."

I could see sense in that. So taking a few minutes to slide off the dress-like robe thing like I had practiced so many times, I dropped the soft fabric onto the bottom of the cage before taking to the air. Flapping my wings quickly, I gained altitude before I let myself glide to my usual perch for spells.

A stool set in the center of a pre-made circle had a soft pillow on top, which I landed on. It was a soft landing, so I stumbled a bit, but managed to stay in place as Yami bent to draw symbols and letters within and on the circle.

Have I mentioned that humans look good _any_ way you look at them?

Cause Yami's butt looked really nice, especially bent over like that.

"And that's what should happen with the spell. Got it?" Yami asked, standing up.

Huh, normally I'm not this inattentive. I wonder what's got my head like a bunch of butterflies this morning.

"No, sorry." I answered.

"What do you mean no?" Yami finally looked up, a bit disappointed. "Did you listen at all to what I said?"

"No."

"Honestly, you're becoming more like Seto every day." He muttered.

"Seto look at your butt, too?" I asked, incredulous. And here I thought it was weird! Maybe it was a normal human custom to stare at each other. Just like Yami's doing now.

"No, that's uh… He doesn't do that." Yami said, face reddening before he hid it under his bangs.

"No?" I asked.

"No." he answered.

"Weird?"

"Not if you like someone."

If you like someone? Then I'm okay, because I like Yami. He's nice and pretty for a human.

Now if only he'd had wings, then we'd be set.

Er… right?

No?

"Okay, all set." Yami stood across from me in a smaller circle that surrounded his feet. "Now just the incantation. Yugi, this may hurt at first, but please bear with it."

It would hurt? But I didn't want to hurt. When I voiced my complaint, he gave me a weak smile. "Please, just bear with it for a few seconds and it'll be over, okay?"

A few seconds? I could do that. Bobbing my head, I sat down, not wanting to fall off the stool when the pain hit. Staring up at him trustingly, I watched his lips as they parted and started the incantation that he needed help with.

Have you ever noticed how entrancing watching a human's lips are? They look so soft and somehow inviting. Sometimes I wonder if they really are as soft as they look.

I wonder if Yami would let me check…

A flash of red light and the pain hit, catching me unaware and shocking a scream past my lips.

So much pain! It felt like my limbs were being stretched and twisted; skin pulled taut in every direction. I didn't know how long I could bear it!

As fast as it came, it was gone, leaving me feeling almost numb. Opening my eyes (when had they closed?), I saw the protecting light from Yami's first spell ever cast on me. On many occasions, it had protected me from a spell of his for whatever reason it needed.

But this time was different.

Instead of fighting the red light, it wove around it, allowing it to enter if only in small amounts. Truly amazing, the sight of two spells working together, their bright light mingling. So bright that it hurt my eyes and I had to close them again, scrunching up my nose as if to keep the light out.

Yami's voice still continued with the incantation, never faltering even when I had screamed. If a wizard were to falter even once, the spell would go awry or backfire and caused major damage.

I'm glad that he has so much concentration.

Listening to his soothing voice, I almost fell asleep by the time the numb feeling passed. In surprise, I almost fell off the seat! Even afterwards, I had a hard time remaining on the stool.

Blinking my eyes open, I realized why I was suddenly so unbalanced.

The stool had shrunk!

And so had Yami!

And the rest of the house!

Everything was getting smaller! What was this spell?!

"_Augeo augere auxi auctum!" _Yami ended with a shout. With a final burst of light that left me seeing stars, the red light completed its task and the original light retreated until whenever it was needed next.

Blinking my eyes rapidly to clear my vision, I heard Yami call out, "Yugi?"

"Yes?" I answered.

"Oh thank goodness it worked!" he exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"Small!" I exclaimed when he helped me to my feet.

"You… feel small? That can't be right…" he mumbled.

"Not me. You!" I pointed at him, poking him in the chest. Suddenly, my eyes drifted longer, skirting along the buttons of his shirt and the seam of his black wizard's robe.

"You're feeling that I'm small?" Yami questioned, "So you feel big."

"Big?" I poked one of the buttons, feeling its smooth surface underneath my fingers.

Funny. It looked like rough wood but felt like soft fabric. And the hem of his robe felt even smoother; smooth as… silk? Is that right?

"Yes, when everything else is smaller than it should be." He caught my wandering hand, making me look up. "When we are the same size."

"Size?" so many different words today. Was this all a lesson? He sure went through a lot of trouble for just that.

"Yes, the same size." He said as his eyes ran down my body, taking it in like he had never seen it before. Which was weird because I'm sure he saw me featherless, excuse me, _naked_ several times before. Tilting my head to the side, I gave him a questioning look when his face redden the further down his eyes traveled before he pulled away.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat. "I made you a new robe for when you are big."

"When?" I repeated as I put on the robe. It had slits cut for my wings to slip through easily and felt really smooth, just like Yami's robe.

"Well, I know that you might not like the sudden change and might like to change back from time to time. I didn't make the spell permanent, but it will last until I use the reversal." Yami explained.

"Ah." I said, looking around at my new surroundings.

"Now, what I need help with…" Yami started.

"Not spell?" I asked, turning to look at him. If he hadn't needed help with the magic spell, what did he need help with?

"No, the spell was necessary to enable you to help. What I need help with is in there." Yami pointed to his room. Following his lead, I walked over to the door, staring at the door knob in wonder before gripping it like I had seen Yami do several times and pulling it away.

But it stuck fast.

Eyebrows furrowing, I tried again. The door jiggled, but stayed steadfast.

"Yugi." He called my name, placing his hand over my own. "You have to turn it."

I'm sure whatever he just said was important, but I wouldn't be able to tell you what it was if it cost me my life. The way his hand curved around mine, the feeling of that warmth covering my own mixed with the sensation of his breath ghosting over my skin made my head spin.

Then the door was open and I got my first real look into Yami's room.

Despite the mess of magic books and ingredients in the main room, his bedroom was rather orderly and… empty. There was a lamp by the bed and a few windows with their curtains drawn. Another door on one side of the room peaked my interest, but what captured my attention was the nest in the middle of the room.

At least, I thought it was a nest.

It was a knotted mess of blankets and sheets formed carefully into a circular shape. If it was a human nest, then it was amazing. If it was a bird nest, it needed a lot of work.

This was why you never leave stuff to the last minute.

"What do you think?" Yami asked nervously, "I have to say, I've never made one before so I don't have much practice."

"Good… for human." I said, meaning that it was a human nest.

"For a human?" he winced, "that bad, huh? Man, and I was hoping to impress you."

"Impress?" I asked, not understanding.

"I wanted you to like it."

"Me?" why would it matter if I liked it? I mean, yes I'm the more experienced nest builder, but why would _I_ have to like it? Shouldn't he be more worried about his girl?

"Yes." He answered.

"Why?"

"Because… I feel like you would know better than I."

Would know… does he mean instinct? The senses that tell me when mating season starts and what to do in different life and death situations?

Are mine better than his? Is that why he's asking?

"Instinct?" I asked.

"…In a way." he said, stepping forward and closing the door behind him, leaving us in the room alone. Suddenly, my instincts were telling me that we were not equals.

He was the predator and I was the prey.

In other words, I was in trouble.

"In a way?" I asked, backing up a bit. Maybe he sensed that he was making me uncomfortable because he backed off a bit.

"Yes, you see, recently my… mating instincts were triggered and I was… forced to make a nest. I've never felt this way before and had never planned to until…" he trailed off.

"Until?" I urged, my curiosity overpowering my instinct. The last time that happened, it hadn't ended well. Let's hope this time wasn't a repeat.

"Until a certain someone did a certain _something_ a few days ago." He said, giving me a pointed look.

"What?" I tilted my head, confusion showing. He was alluding to something, but I wasn't sure what. Was he angry?

"… Do you remember a few days ago when you were… inspecting your body?" he asked. Remembering, I nodded, showing that I was with him so far. "Well, while doing that, you happened to do a set of actions that probably felt really good at the time."

Also remembering that, I felt my face heat up. It had felt really nice. Was he mad that I did that? Why would he bring it up if he wasn't?

"Well, you see… that was part of a human mating ritual." He said bluntly.

Part of a human-?!

"And after watching that, no male could keep from making a nest to mate in. As I have done." He motioned to the bed. "After that, they go into a sort of rut that won't end until they've found release."

Forced to make a nest? A rut? That won't end?

Oh no! No wonder he's mad at me! I forced him into a mating that he said he didn't want! And now he's going to be in rut until he finds a mate!

And I still don't want him to find one!

"Mad at me?" I asked, not really wanting to know the answer, but having to ask.

"No. I wouldn't say that." Yami said and my heart leapt into my throat. "But I do have a bit of a problem."

"What?"

"You see, I have no girls I like. No one I want to take as a mate, except…"

Except…?

"You." Yami said, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Me?" Yami wanted me? But we were so different! Different species and we're guys and…

Did it matter?

With all the magic I've seen and been through, all the changes in my life, was it possible for me to mate with Yami? Was it possible _not_ to?

Lately, I had found myself entertaining the thought, but to be faced with it…

"Yugi." He called gently, bringing me out of my reverie. "Will you let me mate with you? Will you let me care for you and take care of you? Will you let me be your mate?"

Yami was asking for me to let him love me? To be my mate? When I had already settled with the fact that I might not have a mate for a long time if ever?

How could I say no to that? And besides, it was my fault that he was like this in the first place.

Smiling, I reached for his hand, marveling over the similar but different texture before turning my eyes up to him.

"I will try." I said, tightening my grip. I watched him lean in, pressing his lips to mine and slowly back me up to the bed. I sat on it with a light thump, Yami following me and slowly pressing me down to the bed as his tongue pried my lips apart to add another level to the kiss.

When I started to lean too far back, my wings automatically shifted to keep me balanced. In doing so, I moved forward too quickly, clashing my teeth with Yami's.

"Ah!" he pulled back in surprise. "Seems like someone's excited."

My face reddened as I tried to explain, "Uh… b-balance and… w-wings."

"Hmm?" he hummed, giving my wings a look-over. "I see."

When he started to back away, my body reacted on its own, fingers tangling in his shirt to keep him close.

"Don't-!" I started, eyes wide.

"Sh, Yugi. I'm not leaving. Just let me fix our position." He said quietly, soothingly. Looking up at him with large eyes, I let my fingers relax and he backed up, pulling away just enough to flip me on my side.

"Yami?"

"It will work better this way." he said as I pulled my wing out from under me to fold it close to the other one.

"…Okay." I agreed softly, uncertainty starting to filter through my voice. A quick, but deep kiss brushed it aside and I found myself slowly enjoying his actions. One hand slid up the back of my thigh as the other started to loosen my robe. Heat started to build in my stomach like the time I had inspected my body, but this time was different. This time was with Yami.

Then something occurred to me.

How were we supposed to mate if we're both guys?

"Um… Yami?" I broke the kiss to voice my question. "How we mate if… male?"

He was quiet for a moment before muttering something under his breath.

"What?" I asked, trying to hear him.

"It's much like when you inspected your body. My fingers…" he moved the hand that was travelling up my thigh higher to my hole where slick digits brushed against the ring of muscles. "Will go in here and find that spot inside of you that will turn you into a panting mess."

My face darkened as my cock hardened a bit at his words.

"Then, once you're good and stretched and ready for more, we'll continue." Yami said, his voice a low purr. It sounded like a cat and that both thrilled me and made me edgy.

Humans don't _eat_ their mates, right? Then how would they reproduce?

Abruptly, one of the tracing fingers slid in, its slick body sliding in easily (when had they become wet?). It stung a bit, my body still a little sensitive from the first time, but it wasn't too bad. The second one is where the pain grew and I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my bottom lip as I tried to close my legs and keep the pain away.

But Yami's grip on my leg prevented that.

"Sh, Yugi, relax." He urged.

"R-relax?" I repeated, not understanding.

"Like… this." he said as he pulled me into another kiss. His tongue twined with mine, drawing my attention away from the pain and slowly getting my body to loosen.

Was this 'relax'?

"Yeah, just like that." Yami soothed as he pulled away and trailed his lips down my chest, pushing my robe out of the way as he went. The silken material fell down my shoulders and bunched at where my wings attached to my back. His actions sparked electricity that thrilled through my body at his touch and ignited a fire that made me ache for more.

"P-Please…" I begged. He chuckled under his breath as he eased a third finger in only to twist them _just so_ to make me arch my back in sheer pleasure. My wings stretched out behind me as if to ease the pressure that he was creating by simple pushing against that thing inside of me; that thing I found before.

"Wh-wha…" I panted when he pulled his fingers out. Already I missed the feeling of his fingers inside of me.

"I'm moving on now, okay? Remember to keep relaxed." He whispered next to my ear. His breath made me shiver and I closed my eyes to concentrate on the actions he had done before. My muscles relaxed again; my wings folding and relaxing against the bed.

Something hot pressed against my hole and startled me into opening my eyes.

"What is-?" but I never finished my question as he pushed heavily into me, parting my body to cover his. Crying out, I arched my back in pain, clenching tightly.

"Y-Yugi, you have to relax!" he said through pain gritted teeth. Biting my lip until it bled, I tried to obey, but just couldn't seem to calm down. Every part of me hurt through an echo of pain and my 'flight' instincts were going hay-wire.

Lifting my leg over his shoulder, Yami rubbed my lower back in soothing circles, trying to help me loosen. Slowly, I was able to take in a shuddering breath and calm down.

Focusing on the pulsing heat, I forced my muscles to unclench and let the wizard slide in completely. By the end of this excursion, both of us were panting harshly for different reasons.

"H-hurts…" I whimpered.

"I know, I know." He kissed my forehead lightly before kissing both of my cheeks. "Please, bear with me just a little longer. It will get better."

I whimpered lowly but nodded my head as the pain began to recede. A few more minutes and the pulsing heat started to feel enticing. Unable to help myself, I wiggled my hips a little, getting used to the feel of him inside me.

A beautiful moan reached my ears that definitely wasn't mine. Blinking, I looked up at Yami, staring at his enraptured face. Repeating my actions, I felt a thrill of excitement go through me as he let out a low groan and breath just a little heavier. To think I had the same affect that he had on me!

"Y-Yugi, please…" he whispered against my heated skin. "Can I…?"

I didn't know what they rest of the sentence would be, but I knew what he wanted. What we both wanted. Moaning lowly, I rocked my hips once more before nodded and letting my head hit the pillow beneath it.

Tangling my fingers in the sheets, my body arched slightly as he pulled out before bending harshly when he slammed back in. Moans and grunts began to sound like singing in my ears as the two of us performed the oldest dance known to animals. For every thrust into my body, Yami was met with a shuddering rock as I tried to keep up with him.

Then magic exploded behind my eyes when he rammed into that one spot that sent every nerve tingling.

"Y-Yami-!" I tried to warn him. I knew not if my warning came across because he shifted to a harder pace, losing his rhythm as he pumped his hot, hard cock into my hole. The heat was growing too much, the feeling of our skin sliding against each other too… too… erotic for me.

I wasn't going to last much longer.

Untangling one hand, I reached upwards, twisting my fingers into his hair to pull him down. Our lips sealed together in a passionate kiss as I finally slipped over the edge. Something splashed against my thighs and his stomach as my body trembled and shook. My vision went white until the only thing I could concentrate on was the warmth of Yami's body and mine, still one.

He followed soon after, releasing warm liquid into my body. Together, we shared a mind blowing experience before he collapsed onto his side, facing me. Panting, we were silent as we slowly came down from the highest cloud I had ever been on. So high I could've touched the sun.

"Yugi, I love you." He said, smiling happily at me. I knew not what his words meant, but his tone made my cheeks blush and I leaned in to kiss him again. Eagerly, he returned the kiss and it was only then that I remembered something important.

Pulling away, I held his face in my hands. "Yami… I… mate… for life."

Though I worried about his reaction, he seemed completely unsurprised. Taking my face in his hands, he rubbed his thumb over my cheek as he spoke, "I know Yugi. I do too."

It was then that I knew why all of those things had happened to me. Why I had been changed by magic and captured in a cage. Why I hadn't attracted a mate, but instead learned of the human life. I like to think it was for a better purpose, a meaningful moment.

This one right here.

I don't know who started it this time, the kiss, but I found myself with my eyes closed, enjoying a simple touch of lips, a chaste brush of my mouth and his. I wanted this moment to last forever, to never part, but my body wouldn't allow that.

"Sleepy…" I mumbled to which Yami chuckled under his breath.

"I would think so." He said in that low, exciting voice of his, "Sleep now and we'll enjoy whatever the morning brings tomorrow."

At this time, I couldn't agree with him more. With that being said, I fell into a warm, dreamless sleep soon after.

~outside the bedroom~

The morning sun was just peaking over the tree line, reaching out to awaken the new lovers with a gentle, light touch.

_BAM BAM BAM!_

"!" Yami jerked awake at the sound, making Yugi wake up too.

"Yami?" the angel questioned sleepily.

"Sh, go back to sleep. I'll see who it is." Yami said, slowly sitting up and sliding out from under the blankets of the nest. Shivering in the morning chill, he slid on a pair of pants before the banging on the door commenced again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Yami shouted, not noticing Yugi pull his robe around his body to follow his mate. Stalking to the door, the wizard threw it open with an irritable, "WHAT?!"

"… Hi." The blue-eyed brunette said, his hand paused in mid-air as if to knock again.

"Seto?" Yami leaned against the door way. "What could you possibly want first thing in the morning?"

"~~~" Seto mumbled something under his breath.

"I'm sorry, what?" Yami asked, leaning in.

"I said I need help." Seto said, barely loud enough for the crimson-eyed wizard to hear.

"Help? With what?"

"Well, I… Um… I got a dog." Seto said as a blonde head popped around his elbow, peering curiously into the large house. Honey gold eyes blinked cutely as two floppy brown ears twitched, listening for other sounds.

"…" Yami stared, open-mouthed before he gave Seto a pointed stare. "You didn't…!"

Seto hung his head in shame just as the blonde caught sight of Yugi.

"BIRD!" the dog barked, pushing past the two wizards to get into the house.

"DOG!" Yugi shrieked as he immediately took to the air. The ceiling was low, but he was able to keep just out of reach of the dog-like teen. Fiery red eyes turned on Seto.

"I can't believe you! I was _joking!_" Yami hissed.

"Well, I wasn't. Now I need help!" Seto hissed back as he caught the teen by a collar. Yes, _collar_. He had to keep hold of him _somehow_.

"No." Yami said. "He tried to attack Yugi! I want him out! Out!"

"Yami! Wait, just hear me out!" Seto tried to reason. The two wizards continued squabbling as Seto tried to keep the dog in once place. Seeing that everyone was distracted, Yugi slipped back into his and Yami's bedroom.

He would come back out after the dog was gone and done with. For now, he would set about fixing the tangle of blankets into a proper nest.

Honestly, humans could be so messy!

Phantomworks: well, hope everyone enjoyed this just as much as I did.

**Alice; I loved it.**

Phantomworks: honestly, I thought it would only be four or five chapters at first. It went longer than I thought.

**Alice: I like it longer. Makes a better story.**

Phantomworks: thanks! Anyway, I might add more, but I see this as pretty complete. Now onto other oneshots!

**Alice; make one with an incubus… or fairy… or kitten… or-!**

Phantomworks: okay, that's enough. For all of you who are happy that you read this, please review!


	15. Misunderstanding

Phantomworks: okay, I know I just updated like last week or something.

**Alice: 13 days ago.**

Phantomworks: yikes, unlucky… But I've had this idea for a while now and hope everyone likes it. I'll make a sequel of this one too, but not immediately…

**Alice: PW doesn't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.**

Misunderstanding

"And that's the difference between Hitler and Obama…" the teacher concluded just as the bell rang, "Would you look at the time? All right, class! I expect a full page report next Monday on the theory of Evolution of Government. With that said, enjoy the weekend!"

Every student groaned at the thought of homework over the weekend.

"Man, homework during the weekend? Is she trying to kill us?" ranted a tri-color-haired teen. His ruby eyes flashed brightly as he shoved a book into his bag, imagining it was the teacher's throat.

"No, it's all part of dat educational mumbo-jumbo dat these people ramble on 'bout." His friend answered harshly, running a hand through his feral blonde mane. "But I know a way ta cheer ya up!"

"How's that?" his buddy looked up with interest.

"Beatin' up Mutou." The blonde smirked, a look that was returned by the other teen.

"Where do you think he is right now?"

"My best guess? Just now walkin' to the front gates." The blonde said as he peered out the window onto a small, frail teen below.

"How long do we have?"

"If we run?" the blonde looked up. "Five minutes."

"We'll catch him." the regal teen said as he stood and threw his book bag over his shoulder. Sharing a maniacal grin, the two shot out of the classroom and down the school halls, racing past students and faculty members who frantically got out of their way. Just as their target had passed the school gates, they burst out the front doors.

"Thought you said five minutes!" the crimson-eyed teen said as their victim gave a fearful look back over his shoulder before taking off as well.

"I said guess!" the blonde defended as the two gave chase. "Sides, he can't out run us. Y'know how bad he is in PE."

"Highlight of my day." The ruby-eyed teen commented as they poured forth a burst of speed. They were only a few yards behind their prey when the small teen dashed into the city's forest. "Hey! He's not supposed to do that!"

"Relax, Yams. We'll still get him!" the blonde said as they took after him. "He'll trip and we'll catch him for sure!"

Despite the blonde's encouragement though, they were slowly losing sight of the boy. Apparently, he knew this forest a great deal more than the two pursuing teens and soon cut them off his tail.

"Man! Dat kid can dodge like a demon!" the blonde said, doubling over and panting to get air into his lungs. "What do we do now?"

"Split up and search for him." the other demanded.

"Yami, dis forest is miles wide! We'll neva find him!" the blonde complained.

"I was promised a good beating, Joey, and I intend to collect." Yami said, his blood-colored eyes blazing. "We'll split up and search. The first to find him ties him up and calls the other."

"I betta get paid for dis." Joey muttered. A hundred dollar bill was shoved in his face.

"You'll get that and more." the demanding teen said. The blonde gulped at the sheer amount of money before pocketing it and starting his search. Sometimes, it was nice to have a CEO's son as your best friend and partner in crime. He got you out of tough situations and gave a pretty penny when he was feeling generous.

"Got it, boss." Joey called over his shoulder, "I'll go West and you'll take the East, right?"

Nodding even though he knew it went unnoticed, Yami started his own search by foot, taking his time and patiently listening to his surroundings.

He'd find Yugi Mutou soon enough and when he did, that boy would pay.

o0O0o

A small boy breathed quietly, trying to catch his breath without being caught. It seemed like every day that bullies would find him after school and use him as a punching bag until they tired of him. He'd come home bruised and battered, making up some lie about tripping or PE and then cry himself to sleep. It was almost enough to make him suicidal!

But then what would happen to _his place_?

Just the thought of it made his heart skip a beat as he picked himself up from behind a clump of bushes and quietly made his way forward. He knew this forest by heart after having played in it in his youth. Back then, other kids had played with him, but now he was alone.

Checking the area, he started forward, careful not to make a sound. To his right, he could hear lots of movement and some curses, but it was far off so he wouldn't have to worry about it. To his left, he could hear nothing, which worried him only slightly as he followed the well-memorized path.

Soon, he came to a thick, sturdy tree with hundreds upon hundreds of branches, each covered with a thousand leaves. Running his fingers across the bark, he found the near invisible wooden ladder that years ago he'd climbed as a child. Now he did the same as he ascended into the tree.

Hidden by the foliage was an old but still useable tree house with a single window and a trap-door entrance. Hauling himself up, Yugi glanced around the room with bright amethyst eyes before closing the trap-door behind him. Shrugging off his backpack, he set it down before picking up a small pile of cloth in the corner.

"Good. It's still here." He said softly before taking his own clothes off and slipping on the pure white shorts and long-sleeved shirt. Slipping off his shoes and socks, he dug into his backpack to pull out some homework to work on until night rolled. His Grampa already knew he would be home late, so he had nothing to worry about.

Starting on his Government homework, he managed to get through both it and his Earth Science before he finally looked up at the full moon.

"It's time!" he breathed, excitement flowing through his veins. Dropping his books where he sat, he reached over for the last pile of fabric. Shaking it out, he wrapped the shear material around his shoulders and tied a knot with two strings. Shoving the more opaque hood over his head to hide his hair, he snapped open his flute case and quickly assembled it before flipping up the trap-door and scurrying down the unseen ladder.

o0O0o

Miles away, Yami cursed violently in every language he knew before giving up and turning towards the street, intending to give Joey his money the next day.

o0O0o

Meanwhile, Joey was still patrolling the area, pausing only to check his watch.

"At ten I'm callin' it a night." He muttered to himself as he shoved his hands in his pockets. His path was taking him around the general middle of the forest before cutting back across the center where a deforestation project had started years earlier, but never finished due to funding problems.

Just as he was about to head in, he heard something. Something that sounded like… music?

Curiosity peaked, he changed direction and went deeper into the woods.

o0O0o

It took no time at all for Yugi to find his way to his special place. It wouldn't seem like much in the daylight hours; a simple meadow full of the same small wild flowers. But at night…

At night, it looked like a scene from a fairy tale!

The flower petals were alight with a pigment unique to them, something similar to the glow of a firefly. Delicate petals danced in the slight breeze, waiting for him to start.

"I'm thinking something alluring tonight…" he spoke softly as he walked through the close-knit flowers, knocking the fragile petals from their stalks and spreading the ripe seeds into the air. Taking a deep breath, he brought his flute to his lips. His hood slid lower as he closed his eyes and a stronger wind picked up, making his cloak fly behind him like folded wings.

A few, tentative notes floated in the breeze, stolen away before they had a chance to form completely. A half pace, a step to crush a flower, but letting its offspring live on. Words of the song were silent, but still a whisper in one's ear…

_Come to me, sweet child…_

An echoing of the melody repeated through the forest as the teen's body swayed, taking fluid steps as he lost himself to the sounds.

_Come to my land of dreams!_

A sharp burst of wind and he leapt, twirling mid-jump to land the opposing direction. His leg curled out, cutting a sharp arc across the flowers' heads.

_Come be free!_

_Of Reality!_

Plowing petals and seeds followed his movement, giving him a magical, ethereal look.

Almost as if…

He was something _more_ than human.

_And never escape the night~!_

Continuing his one composure, the teen didn't notice a set of astonish gold eyes watching him from the bushes. The viewer's breath was taken away by the scene as he tried to explain what he saw.

_It's… it's got to be a fairy!_ Joey decided, paling at the thought. Fairies weren't known to living in the area, but then again, who really knew now-a-days? Yet the blonde was so sure of himself that he remained as still as a statue.

_Brownies are the ones that steal your stuff, so fairies must… they're the ones that kidnap people!_ he bit back the whimper in his throat as the 'fairy's' eyes slid open, displaying exotic amethyst alit by the glowing flowers below. It almost looked like there was a spark of magic in those gem-like orbs. _I'll be fine as long as he… she… don' notice me!_

So thinking, the teen stayed frozen to the ground as the mythical creature played on.

o0O0o

Drawing his song to an end, Yugi sighed as the last petal of the last flower fell. He was always a bit sad when he finished his songs since every flower would be bare. However, it felt like his duty to take care of them like this.

You see, these were special flowers that, unless nudged or bumped, would never let go of their seeds and eventually die off and go extinct. Before he came here, they were torn up and wrecked by that forest project which had initiated their growth spurt in population. Yet when the harmful act was put to a halt, they slowly began to die out again.

When he had found them, he had taken it upon himself to restore their vigor and bring the meadow to light once again. And who said he couldn't have a little fun with it?

Now, staring up at the sky, he sighed once again as the dancing petals drifted off and the magical air thinned.

"Seven days…" he whispered before turning back. While the plants took effort to spread their seeds, their lives were rather short, sprouting in two days and maturing in another five. Every weekend, he found himself here, disrupting the flow of nature with his own touch to keep it going. It made him feel needed and loved by the plants he helped.

He wouldn't trade that feeling for the world.

Turning around, he headed back into the forest, to the tree house where his stuff still sat, waiting for him. Finding the path, even in the dark, he didn't notice a shadow leap up from the other side of the meadow and take off towards the nearest road.

"Man, dat was close!" Joey muttered to himself, jittery about the near-acquainting of himself and the mythical creature. "I thought I was done fer!"

As he slowed down a bit, he shrugged his backpack up higher and tried to remember the route home. "No one's gonna believe dis! I'll have ta tell 'em on Monday! Can't believe it! A real fairy!"

Little did he know, it was all one _big_ misunderstanding.

Phantomworks: haha-Joey.

**Alice; that's all you have to say?**

Phantomworks; what else did you expect? I mean, this is kind of a fluffy piece, or is going to be.

**Alice: it's okay I guess.**

Phantomworks: I just like the thought of flowers and sparkles making someone look like magic. I like the imagery.

**Alice; maybe you should focus on it next time.**

Phantomworks; yeah, maybe. And maybe I'll have Bully-Yami swooning over Fairy-Yugi.

**Alice;…**

Phantomworks; I was joking.

**Alice; well…**

Phantomworks; I'm ending this before it gets convoluted. Please review!


	16. This is Halloween!

Phantomworks; upon request, this is a Halloween Special!

**Alice; and sequel to the Christmas special!**

Phantomworks: I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

This is Halloween!

"An' at night, monstas wit' giant fangs an' glowing re-green eyes roam da streets yellin' 'Trick-er-Treat!'. An' if ya don' give'em a treat, they… Getcha!" the blonde growled as he lurched forward, as if to scare his audience.

His audience, however, wasn't afraid in the least.

"That's nice, Joey." Yami said, his red eyes dull with boredom.

"Wha- hows come yer not scared?" Joey demanded, leaning forward on his stool. The two were watching the counter at the game shop and the blonde decided to pull a prank to waste time.

Christmas had been hilarious, so why not Halloween?

"I'm not scared because we fight with monsters on a daily basis. We've fought with more real ones than anyone in this century could possibly comprehend. What's more, we have shadow powers to summon our own, or at least, _I_ do." Yami gave Joey a dubious look, "Based on that, what should I be scared of?"

"… The dead will rise!"

"Good, maybe I can knock some sense into my father."

"Werewolves come out!"

"Twilight fans rejoice."

"An… uh… Vampires!"

"Are not real." Yami finished. "Yugi told me himself that all the 'monsters' we'll see on Halloween are just children in costumes. There is absolutely nothing to fear."

"Let me get dis straight." The blonde closed his eyes and put on his 'thinking' face (really, he just looked constipated). "Ya aren't scared of ghouls an' ghosts, monstas an' mummies on da darkest day o' the year, but when it comes ta Christmas an' Santy Claus-!"

"THE FAT MAN MUST DIE!" Yami shouted, standing so fast from his seat that he stool fell over. "He almost caught me off guard last year, but this year will be different! This year I will be prepared!"

"Prepared for what?" Yugi asked, carrying a large box of… something.

"Prepared to rip that fat monster in red limb from limb and cut out his insi-!"

"Oh, Christmas." Yugi said simply, placing the box on the counter. "Yami, you really have to overcome this fear of Santa Claus. He's a really good person once you get to know him!"

"Not if you've been bad." Yami sulked.

"? Why would you have to worry about that?" Yugi asked.

"Um… no reason." Yami looked away.

"Yami, you've saved the world three times over. I think anything after that will be excused as having a bad day." Yugi put his hands on his hips.

"If you say so." Yami said, lounging on the game counter.

"What's in da box anyway, Yug'?" Joey asked, changing subjects.

"Oh!" Yugi dug through it, "This is a box of all my old costumes from when I was little. I was hoping to sew a couple together to make a costume this year."

"I'm sorry, but dat sounded so gay." Joey said as he too looked through the box, "Fuzzy gloves? I'm keepin' 'em!"

"Ah-hey! That's from my puppy costume!" Yugi protested.

"Well, dere mine now." Joey teased, holding the furry fabric above Yugi's head.

"Ngh-!" Yugi strained to reach them before giving up, "Oh fine! You can have them!"

"Score!" Joey fist pumped before pocketing the pair of gloves. "What else ya got?"

"No! You have to go get your own stuff!" Yugi pushed the blonde away with surprising force.

"Alright, alright! Geez!" Joey relented. "Hey, my shift's ova so I'm headed home."

"See you at school tomorrow!" Yugi waved and nudged Yami to wave too.

Once Joey was gone, Yami turned to Yugi, "So, a puppy costume?"

Yugi whimpered.

o0O0o

_Ding dong-!_

"Yugi, your friends are here!" Grampa yelled as he got up from the couch in the living room. The TV was blaring the _This Is Halloween_ song as the first of many Halloween specials started on primetime.

"Coming, Grampa!" the teen shouted from his bedroom. Adding the finishing touches to his costume, the petite teen smiled at himself in the mirror, flashing the fake rubber fangs he'd found in his costume box. They were the cheap candy basket kind that came in multiple colors to entertain children through the night.

The rest of his costume looked a bit more expensive. A sleeveless white shirt and a black vest with skull buttons adorned his torso while a pair of mid-thigh length black shorts clung to his legs like a second skin. A pair of white socks with a black stripe around the rim slid over his knees before he tugged on a set of black knee-high boots and did the three belts on each. Adjusting the assortment of spiked belts, cuffs and collars, he stepped out of his room and knocked on his Yami's door.

"Hey, Yami! Are you done yet?" he called.

"Yugi, I do not like this!" Yami's muffled voice responded through the door.

"Oh come on. It can't be _that_ bad!" Yami said doubtfully, putting his hands on his hips.

"_This_ isn't' bad?! I look like a slave!" Yami shoved the door open, the wood slamming into the wall.

True to his words, his costume was a simple beige tunic that reached to just above his knees with a low collar and ripped off sleeves. Around his neck was a thick, used leather collar and attached to his wrists was a pair of strong aluminum chains that were light-weight, but still made that metal clanging sound.

With his hands cuffed, he could only move his arms apart the length of the chains, about a yard long. His feet were covered by a pair of dusty Arabian like slippers that didn't look comfortable to walk in over long distances.

Yugi overlooked this all with an appraising eyes, "I like it!"

"Like it? I look like a bed slave!" Yami raged.

"Exactly." Yugi flashed him a devious smirk that left Yami stunned. Grabbing his dark's hand, the teen dragged his stunned partner down the stairs and opened the front door to end the incessant bell.

"Hey, Jo-!"

"I'MMA KITTY!" the blonde interrupted. He had a large dark frown body suit on that had a long tail and furry footies. His hands were covered with the fuzzy gloves he'd borrowed (stole) from Yugi and on his head were two large brown ears… that flopped.

"Joey, those are dog ears." Yugi pointed to them.

"…" Silence reigned for all of about two seconds.

"Dey was on SALE!" Joey exclaimed as he pushed past the two look-a-likes. "Anyone else come yet?"

"Nope! You're the first one, Joey." Yugi said, following the teen to the living room.

"Awesome!" Joey rooted before spying the candy basket, "FOOD!"

"No! Bad Joey!" Yugi smacked the reaching hand. "Read the sign!"

"Take only one." Joey said, squinting at the funny font. Must be Helvetica or something. Whatever _that_ is.

"_One_ piece." Yugi said, "Choose wisely. It could decide your fate forever."

"Yeah yeah yeah, fate and all dat." Joey brushed him off before reaching for a black wrapped candy with red decorations. Unwrapping it and popping it into his mouth, the blonde looked around to see the ex-pharaoh staring at his feet, still stunned, "What's wrong wit' him?"

"I told him his costume looks great."

"He looks like a bed slave."

"Exactly."

"…" Joey blinked, "Okay, now I get it."

Yugi answered with a smile before the doorbell rand and he dashed to the door. Hearing him greet two more teens, the blonde sank back in his seat.

"Decide yer future, eh?" he muttered as he examined the wrapper. It looked harmless enough until he flipped it over and was assaulted with a giant blue KC on the inside. "_O'course_ it'd be _dat_."

"Greetings mortals! ... and pharaoh!" a second blonde yelled as he ran into the living room. He was dressed in black leather pants and a baggy black blouse that showed off quite a bit of his sculpted bronze chest. His gravity-defying hair had been partially restrained behind a black mask that covered his eyes and nose. Black boots and gloves covered his extremities and a sword sheath hung from a shiny black belt at his side.

"Hey Marik." Joey greeted. "What're you supposed ta be? Zorro?"

"I know not this Zorro of which you speak." Marik deadpanned. "I am an awesome assassin of the seventh order of the brotherhood of-!"

"He's a bandit." Malik cut in, pushing his dark to the side. He wore a purple vest that hung open to show off his naked chest, also decorated with a shiny gold star badge. Tight white leather pants clung to his legs and a pair of dark purple boots fit around his feet. Tipping his off-white hat back, the platinum blonde grinned, "And I'm a cowboy! A sheriff to be exact!"

"He's going to bring me to 'justice'." Marik smirked and shot his double a leer.

Malik hit him on the arm, "Enough of that!"

"You aren't gonna use your gun?" Marik grinned.

"Only as a last resort." Malik shot back with a sly grin of his own.

"… Uh-huh." Joey blinked, trying to erase the images that came with their words. "Nice costumes."

"Who said they were-?!"

"Nice dog suit." Malik replied, shoving a hand over his dark's mouth.

The dirty blonde glared, "I'mma _cat_."

"And I'm the Queen of England." A sultry voice said, thickly accented with the tone of ages past. A dark albino entered the room, dressed similarly to Marik with a showy shirt and leather pants. He, too, had black gloves, but they were furry and the fingers were cut out, showing off his black painted nails. On top of his head were a pair of black triangles, a cat ear headband and a long, skinny tail was clipped onto the back of his thick belt.

"Bakura! That's not nice at all!" his Hikari piped up, trying to push the yami out of the way so he could get into the room. He wore a skin tight short-sleeved shirt and ridiculously short black shorts that road up when he walked.

His collar was white and preppy looking, pressed to perfecting and looked to be a larger size of the identical wrist cuffs that adorned his wrists. The cuffs looked really out of place, since they weren't attached to a sleeve. On top of his head were a pair of long white rabbit ears and his legs were clad in a pair of furry white boots that made it seem like he had adorable little rabbit feet.

Joey didn't doubt for a second that the timid albino hadn't forgotten the little poof of a rabbit tail.

"Joey, Bakura and Ryou are here!" Yugi called cheerily, dragging Yami after him (who glared darkly at Bakura).

"Yea, kinda noticed." Joey growled. "So what're you supposed to be?"

"A black cat that brings bad luck to all the good little boys and girls." Bakura smirked viciously, baring his fang-like teeth.

"Uh-huh… an' Ryou is…? A playboy bunny? … Guy version?"

"No, he's my din-!" a pale hand shoved itself over Bakura's mouth.

"It was the only way I could get Bakura to participate!" Ryou defended himself. "He wouldn't do it for the candy or tricks! He said it was too easy if it was expected. This was the only way."

"Doesn't change the fact that you're a playboy bunny." Joey said.

"And you're a sad excuse for a dog." Bakura shot back.

"Imma _cat_!"

"Seriously?" Yami asked.

"Doesn't look like it." Malik stated.

"That's what _I_ was thinking." Bakura crossed his arms with a smirk.

"Rgh!" Joey growled angrily as the door was thrown open.

"The party has arrived!" Tristan yelled, jumping in and making everyone gawk at him.

Or rather his costume. His black-and-white cow suit of a costume, complete with horns and udder.

"Why'd you dress like a dog, Joey? I thought you hated being called that." Tristan asked, ignoring all of the stares.

"Dog?! Why you-! Female cow!"

"*gasp!* You. Take. That. Back!"

"Why?! It's true, ain't it?!"

"Is not!"

"Only da girls got udders!"

"Guys, calm down!" Yugi shouted, getting between the two before a fight broke out. "Joey, we promise not to make fun of your costume anymore and Tristan, sorry to say, girl cows _are_ the only ones with udders. You picked up the wrong costume.

As the blonde backed off with a grin, Tristan slumped over, sulking. "The tag said it was an ox! What was I supposed to do!?"

"Nothing." Yugi said, "Except _look_ at it first."

The brunette groaned before Bakura cut in.

"So are we going trick-or-treating or what?" he asked snidely.

"We will, but we're still missing one person." Yugi said. Everyone froze.

"Yug', _please_ don't tell me you invited _her_." Joey whined, voicing everyone's complaint. Behind him, Bakura was examining the candy basket and the sign demanding that he take only one.

"I didn't have a choice!" Yugi said, "Besides, she's our friend! I can't just _not tell her_!"

"O'course ya can!" Joey stated, throwing up his hands. "You know how she gets!"

"She's only like this because of that whole mind-control incident!" Everyone turned to glare at Marik. Not noticing the death stares, the bandit looked up at the sudden silence.

"Hey, don't look at me!" he protested.

"It _is_ your fault." Malik stated.

"I did it when I was _evil!_"

"And you aren't anymore?"

"Of course I am- er… no. I'm completely good. HUGS FOR EVERYONE! … _Even_ the pharaoh."

"I'm still not buyin' it." Joey crossed his arms. "But we've got no proof otherwise so…"

_Ding dong_

The gang groaned.

"I'll get it." Yugi jumped up and scurried to the door, making the pharaoh check him out as he passed. Opening the door, the petite teen started to greet the female on the other side before the words died in his throat.

What she had on _could not_ be considered a costume.

With a black leather strap-less bra-like thing covering her C-sized breasts and matching panty-like dressings that hugged her lower torso, she looked more like a hooker than a teen going out for trick-or-treating. And those cut out boots that looked like two strips of ribbon criss-crossing up her leg to her thighs where they stopped at a black band and where the fishnet started?

Yeah, definitely not _kid friendly._

She even had silver chains that looped around her neck and one arm before attacking to her bikini top and bottoms (probably to hold them up)!

"Uh… T-Tea. What a nice… surprise?" Yugi's greeting was more of a question than anything else. "What are you…wearing?"

"I'm a succubus!" she exclaimed happily. Giving a shaky grin, Yugi didn't want to question any further and just announced her presence.

To an array of groans and whines from the rest of the gang.

"Guys! It's not that bad!" Yugi hissed, keeping his voice low enough so that Tea wouldn't hear but strict enough to get his point across. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"Oh Yami-kins!" Tea glomped the pharaoh (who had been staring avidly at Yugi to keep from being traumatized). "I dressed like this _just_ for _you_! Do you like it?!"

"Gyahh!" Yami screamed in horror, trying to shake off the leech-like woman.

"… Okay, I take it back." Yugi glared darkly (really, he's spending much too much time with his dark). "Tea, get off of Yami."

"But he and I are _meant_ to be together!" she cooed.

"Not in _this_ life-time." Yugi said, dragging her off of his boyfriend. Said boyfriend proceeded to hide behind the smaller teen, as if Yugi was a great enough barrier between him and the she-demon.

"Yugi, you're so mean!" Tea fake-pouted. "But by not this life-time, you mean the next, right? Like how Yami went from being pharaoh to here? Oh! I'm so excited."

Turning to Yami, she asked, "Do you think you'll be a king in the next life-time? Then I would be a queen! That would be _amazing!_"

"No." Yami said bluntly. "No it wouldn't."

"Oh, Yami. So shy." Tea brushed off his callous remarks with a wave of her hand. "I can wait for you forever! In the meantime though, I want to have some fun. I hope you won't hold it against me!"

Yami shuddered.

"Hey, Tea." Joey called, "What're ya supposed ta be?"

"A succubus." She replied cheerily.

"You can say that again." Tristan snickered.

"Shut up she-cow." Joey snapped.

"Do you think I got the image right? I mean, I wasn't quite sure what succubus look like." Tea put a thoughtful finger to her chin.

"You got it right." Tristan leered.

"Duke would know." Joey said, smirking.

"Duke?" Tea looked at him, confused.

"Yeah, he dressed up as an incubus dis year."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Saw him earlier." Joey tried to conceal an impish grin. "Said he wanted to show you somethin'. Somethin' ta do wit' his car…"

"And the back seat." Tristan muttered, snickering.

"He did?" Tea looked overjoyed.

"Yeah. He should still be lookin' for ya." Joey said. "He wanted ta show you before it got dark."

"Oh! In a few hours, the sun will set!" Tea exclaimed, looking out the window.

"That's my line…" Tristan sulked.

"If he's looking for me, I have to go find him! Maybe he'll give me money!" and with that, the female brunette raced to the front door. "Thanks, Joey-Puppy!"

The gang turned to look at a fuming blonde.

"Don't. Say. A word." Joey growled as he snatched up his trick-or-treating bag.

"Sure." Yugi said. "So did Duke really want to see her?"

"Nah, he's in America fer Halloween. Said they celebrated it betta over there."

"And _how_ do you know this?" Ryou asked, not noticing Bakura swipe the Mutou's candy basket and put it in his bag.

"He came over last week ta rub it in my face."

"That is just like him." Tristan crossed his arms in a manly pose.

"Dude. Enough. You're in a she-cow costume." Joey said. "Jest go home. I'll share whatever candy I get wit'cha."

"…. Okay." Tristan sulked outwardly, but inwardly, he was doing a victory dance. Why walk a couple miles at night for a bag full of candy when you can guilt your friends into sharing some with you?

It was genius.

So thinking, the cow-clad brunette walked off, heading home for the night.

"… You're not going to share with him, are you." Yami stated, not even trying to make it a question.

"Nope. More candy fer me." Joey said with a cheeky grin.

"Okay everyone." Yugi called, "Do you have your bags?"

"Yes." They all charmed in.

"Great!"

"Yugi, are you leaving?" Grampa came up from the basement just as Yugi was about to go out the front door.

"Yep, we're all heading out, Grampa." Yugi smiled, "Don't forget to hand out the candy tonight! We don't want a repeat of _last_ year."

As Grampa nodded, Joey nudged Yami's shoulder. "What happened last year?"

"The glorious candy coma!" Yami replied with a dazed look in his eyes, as if remembering all the events that happened.

"Yami and I got into the stash and… well… let's just say we had _lots_ of energy." Yugi said before heading out the door. "All right! Let's go guys!"

Once everyone was out of the game shop, Grampa turned to where the candy basket was.

Or had been.

"Huh, well what do you know?" Grampa scratched his head, "Those Trick-n-Treaters get me every time! Well, since all the candy is gone…"

He cast a secretive glance towards a card sitting on top of the game counter. Swiping it, he looked around warily before heading down to the basement of the shop.

"Oh Black Luster Soldier. No one must know of our love!"

o0O0o

And so began their trick-or-treating adventure.

"Where to first, Yug'?" Joey asked.

"First is Nichol Street. That's where all of the best candy is, but we have to get there fast, there's only a certain amount that the houses there pass out every year." Yugi explained as he held a small map in his hands. On it were the directions and highlights of every street in Domino, displaying the good points and the bad points of each street and sometimes crossing off a house.

"Well let's hurry den!" Joey said as he sped up. The group seemed to agree with him as they all began to walk faster until they were in a near sprint.

Finally making it to Nichol Street, Yugi made everyone pause while he gave directions. "Okay, we aren't going to be able to get to every house here and the rest of Domino if we travel in one group. So let's split into smaller groups and then trade whatever we don't like afterwards, okay?"

"Yeah." The entire group said.

"Great. Marik and Malik, you take this section." Yugi said, pointing to the map and showing them their portion. "Ryou and Bakura will take this one while Joey, Yami and I will take the last. Meet up here when you're done so we can get to the other houses, got it?"

Everyone nodded before sprinting down the streets.

"Bakura, how do you already have candy?" Ryou asked, "We haven't even started yet."

"I took it from the midget pharaoh's house." Bakura said.

"You took all his candy?! The sign said take one!"

"I did. I took _one bowl_. It just happened to have the candy inside of it."

"…. Yugi is not going to be happy about this.

o0O0o

_Ding dong_

"Hello?" a woman opened the door.

"Trick-or-treat!" Malik and Marik exclaimed loudly.

"… Aren't you two a little _old_ to be trick-or-treating?"

"I beg your _pardon_?!" Malik growled, "I can't help it if some people don't get the childhood that they wanted when they were young. Do you realize that there are kids everywhere that _can't_ go trick-or-treating because their parents don't want to let them out of the underground tombs? I mean seriously! My first time trick-or-treating and _that's_ what you say?!"

"O-oh, I… I'm sorry?" the woman answered, not quite sure what to say to that.

"You better be. My first _ever_ Halloween and I already feel like giving up!" Malik's anger fell into depression as tears gathered in his eyes. "I should just throw in the hat now!"

"Oh, dear! Don't cry! I didn't mean to say it like that!" the woman was beside herself. How do you comfort a teen like this with _that_ kind of back-story? "Here, take all the candy you want. Make up for the years that you missed.

"_Sniff_. Th-thank you." Malik wiped his eyes and nose quickly before taking a handful of delicious candy bars. Then he turned and walked back down the drive. Marik stood there and watched him go.

"And you?" the woman asked. "Were _you_ trapped for your childhood as well?"

"Nope." Marik said, "I was made during his childhood. Ah, good times, good times."

"Er- what?"

He yanked out the Millennium Rod and said in the creepy hypnotizing voice, "You _want_ to give me all your candy…"

"I want to give you all my candy…" the woman repeated quietly, dazed.

"Great! Thank you."

"You're welcome." She replied, eyes glazed over before going back inside and closing the door as Marik ran down the drive, whistling a happy tune.

o0O0o

"Okay, that takes care of this block." Yugi said as the trio returned to their starting point. "Next we should-!"

"You make a sorry excuse for a cat, Wheeler." A very familiar and b******ish voice said.

Turning, the three noticed the two figures for the first time. The shorter raven haired pre-teen was dressed like a spider, complete with four extra arms that moved completely separate from his own. The whirring and cranking of gears spoke of their mechanical abilities.

Ah the wonders of money.

The other teen was dressed like… himself… with a Blue Eyes White Dragon helmet… and longer hair.

"How come _he_ gets it!?" Joey jabbed a finger at Kaiba while turning a betrayed look on his friends. "_He_ gets that I'mma cat and he hates me! Some friends _you _are."

Ignoring the blonde's rant, Yami crossed his arms and said, "If you don't mind me asking, Seto, but what _are_ you dressed as?"

"The most powerful combination in the universe. The Blue Eyes White Dragon and _me._" Kaiba said proudly. "I am Kaibaman."

"…"

"…"

"That's retarded." Yami said.

"Dat's da stupidest ting I ever heard." Joey agreed.

"Says the dog trying to be a cat." Seto retorted.

"Hey! At least I'm not some stupid guy runnin' around wit' a dragon helmet on my head an' girly long hair blowin' in da wind!"

"You're just jealous."

"OF WHAT!?"

"The fact that I'm awesome and I have a _card_ named after me."

Joey glowered, fighting the urge to growl and give support to any dog claims. So _what_ if moneybags had a card named after him? And a jet made in the likeness of his favorite monster? _And_ a company named after him?

Wasn't that good anyway…

"I bet he's weaker den Kuriboh." Joey snapped.

"Oh no, he's _way_ stronger than that little mongrel." Kaiba said before a smirk scrawled itself across his face, "In fact, I'll _show_ you."

"Eh?"

"Mokuba, hang out with Mutou and the pharaoh for a while. I have a disobedient puppy to take care of."

"Nyeh?"

"Okay brother!"

"Come on Mutt."

And with that, the tall brunette dragged the blonde off, leaving his Yugi and Yami as impromptu babysitters of his brother.

"…What just happened?" Yugi asked.

"I don't have a clue, Aibou." Yami answered.

"Hey, are you two going to just stand here or are we going to go get some candy?!" Mokuba huffed before walking off.

"…" after a shared look, the two followed after him, albeit at a slower pace.

O0O0o

"So, since Joey… um… went home early…" Yugi stumbled over his words, "Mokuba has joined us so we should be able to split the sections like before."

"I'm sorry, Yugi, but…" Ryou bowed his head lowly, "I have to take Bakura back to return a few things!"

"Like what?"

"Well, you know those baskets that say 'just take one'?" Ryou started, "He took _one basket_ and all the candy with it… and any garden gnomes that was on the front lawn!"

Bakura snickered.

"So I'm afraid that we'll have to head back early. We'll be sure to bring the candy over to your house tomorrow so that we can split them and trade." With that, Ryou said a quick good-bye and dragged Bakura behind him as he raced off to the street that they had just come from.

"Okay… guess that just leaves us…" Yugi said with a sigh. "We'll split the street down the middle. Marik, Malik, take the right side, Yami, Mokuba and I will take the other. We have to hurry if we want to hit all the houses before Halloween ends!"

"Right!" the other four nodded before splitting up and racing off.

o0O0o

"Yugi, are you _sure_ that these people aren't really monsters?" Yami asked, uncertainty tinting his words. "Because those kids we just passed looked absolutely _repulsive_."

"Of course I'm sure, Yami. It's all costumes, face-paint and fake blood. There's nothing to be afraid of." Yugi shrugged off his concerns.

"If you're sure…" Yami casted a glance over his shoulder, seeing bright red and green eyes watching from a few streets back. Turning back, Yami brushed his hand against the Millennium Puzzle that he had tugged on just seconds before they had left. Instantly, the feeling of being watched disappeared and the trio continued on their way.

o0O0o

_Ding dong_

"Trick-or-Treat!" Malik and Marik chimed when a friendly looking woman opened the door. As soon as she spied them, her smile fell into a disapproving frown as she brought the candy basket forward.

"Nice costume." She said snidely.

"Hey, thanks!" Malik smiled brightly before it faded, "Because I wasn't sure that it would look so good. I still think it's a little off, don't you?"

Startled by his obliviousness to her sarcasm, the woman blinked.

"Now, be honest with me. Is it the hat? The pants? The shoes? … The vest? It's the vest isn't it?" Malik pouted. "I thought about going with a smaller one, one that fit tighter, you know? But then I didn't want to draw attention to myself. And yet… I should've gone with the smaller one, shouldn't I?"

"Told ya so." Marik chimed in.

"Oh drat! Now I'll have to go home and change!" Malik pouted as he stormed off down the driveway.

"…" Marik stared at the woman creepily.

"Can I help y-?"

In the blink of an eye, the Rod was out and Marik was demanding, "GIVE ME YOUR CANDY!"

Obediently, the woman offered him the basket, of which he dumped everything into his bag.

"Thank you! And good night!"

With that, he pranced off after Malik while the woman stared after the two. Shaking her head, she went back inside, muttering to herself, "Trick-or-Treaters… just get weirder every year."

o0O0o

Marik hummed happily as he caught up to his Malik-pretty before someone grabbed a fistful of his costume.

"Marik." Malik hissed, "Did you just use the Millennium Rod to get Halloween candy?"

"Maybe~?"

"Hand it over."

"No! It's _mine!_"

"_Marik_." Malik demanded in a voice that promised the worst punishment possible if not obeyed. Marik gulped. He didn't think he could withstand a full day with no sex.

"… Fine." He pouted childishly as he dropped the solid gold rod into his lover's hand. "But you _owe_ me!"

"After all the candy you've pilfered? Not likely."

"Aww..."

o0O0o

"Now, not only have Ryou and Bakura gone home, but Marik and Malik too!" Yugi growled as he tried to figure out a way to make up for their loss. "I had this planned perfectly! How are we going to get to all the houses _now_?!"

"I dunno… but I'm heading home too." Mokuba said with a yawn.

"You?! But we're supposed to watch you until your brother gets back!" Yugi said with wide eyes.

"I have the limo on speed dial." Mokuba said, pressing a button on his phone. "I'll be fine. I just hope Big Brother and Joey are done by the time I get home."

"What were they doing anyway?" Yami asked, "Dueling?"

"Hardly." Mokuba said. "They were-!"

Just then, the limo pulled up and the chauffer got out to open the door for the kid millionaire. "Master Mokuba. I have informed Master Kaiba that you are on your way."

"What did he say?"

"He mentioned playing your MP3 player all night and keeping your headphones on as you come into the mansion."

"Great~ just… great." Mokuba drawled as he climbed into the limo. "At least I scored enough candy for a sugar coma."

"Indeed sir."

"Okay, let's go."

"Right away." the driver closed the door securely before climbing into his own seat and starting the engine. Then they were off, leaving the two look-alikes to stand in the dust.

After a moment of silence, Yugi threw up his hands with a harsh, "That's it! I give up!"

"Aibou?" Yami asked before cringing when his hikari tore up the map that the smaller had pain-stakingly planned out for the last month.

"I'm done! I don't care anymore! I just want to go home!" Yugi huffed, a hint of sadness in his voice as he let the wing blow away the pieces of his dream. Kicking a small rock out of the way, he turned to start heading home. "Worst_ Halloween __**ever.**__"_

"Aibou, that's not true!" Yami caught up with him. "You had some fun with friends and you got _some_ candy. So what if you didn't get to every house? You had fun while it lasted. And besides, there's always next year."

"I don't doubt that next year will be like this one." Yugi grumbled as he kept his eyes on the ground ahead of him.

Frowning, Yami tried to think of a way to make his hikari happy and to enjoy the last few hours of the ex-pharaoh's first Halloween. Catching the teen's shoulder, the Egyptian tilted the shorter's chin up, making the smaller look him in the eye. "We could always make a _better_ Halloween tonight, between us."

Blinking at the suggestion, Yugi looked back down at the ground, contemplating his dark's words. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

The light still didn't sound happy, but he didn't sound so depressed either. Besides, Yami was sure that he could make this Halloween _the best_ Yugi had ever had. All he needed was a chance.

"Come on." Yugi said, "Let's go home."

Lacing their fingers together, the ex-pharaoh allowed his light to lead them home, his chains tinkling as they went.

They made it home in record time, but Yugi left Yami standing at the door as he pounded up the stairs. Apparently he was still mad about the let down. Sighing, Yami slowly took off his shoes and massaged his sore feet.

Those shoes definitely _weren't_ made for walking anywhere or over anyone.

Setting them to the side, he stood up just as Yugi screamed at the top of his lungs. "YAMI!"

Adrenaline hit his blood stream as the dark raced up the stairs, not bothering with his costume or chains at all as he summoned a reserve of shadow magic to attack whatever was harming his beautiful light.

"Yugi! Are you okay?" he shouted as he shoved the door open, making it slam against the wall. Yet, he stumbled onto a scene he had not expected.

His light was sitting seemingly calm on his bed, back to the door and boots thrown carelessly to the ground. The way he had screamed made it sound like he was close to death! Yami's shadow magic falter. "Yugi?"

"Y-Yami?" the terrified voice stuttered. "R-remember when I said that… that vampires didn't exist?"

"Yes. You adamantly assured me that there is no such thing as vampires." Yami said, walking forward and closing the door behind him. "Why?"

"Well… it turns out… I was wrong…" Yugi turned around, showing off his sharpened fangs. Pure white and deadly looking, these weren't your cheap plastic or rubber vampire teeth sets that are all the rage during the Month of Fright. These were the real deal and Yami suddenly found himself in a very hard position.

His instincts told him that he should use his shadow magic to summon monsters that would protect him and defeat the new creature before him, but his emotions… He loved his hikari and couldn't even _think_ of bringing harm to the one that had led him out of the darkness and shown him what _real_ life was. How could he possibly summon monsters against someone as pure and good as Yugi?

Suddenly, his decision was made for as Yugi doubled over, clutching at his stomach with a groan of pain. At the action, Yami raced forward, skirting around the edge of the bed, "Yugi!"

"Y-Yami!" Yugi panted, one arm hugging his middle as the other clutched at Yami's arm. "H-hurts!"

"It hurts? Where? Where does it hurt?"

"So…" Yugi leaned up, his eyes half-lidded and his breath coming in small pants as he positioned his lips right beside Yami's ear. Letting the air ghost over his dark's skin, Yugi gasped, "So… _hungry_…"

"Wha-?!" the light yanked his dark into a savage kiss, cutting off the other's protests. Distracting the ex-royal with his expert tongue techniques, Yugi furtively grabbed the chain between his dark's arms and yanked it backwards, tangling it in his head board and dragging the unsuspecting dark down with it.

"Yugi! What is the meaning of this?!" Yami demanded as he tried to right himself. Rolling over onto his back, the dark took a second to try and untangle his arms with no success. "Yugi, what are you thinking?!"

"I'm thinking that I'm hungry…" the now completely calm teen stated as he slipped the Millennium Puzzle from his dark's neck and set it on the bedside table. His dark violet eyes gleamed as he looked down at his captured lover, caught so deliciously in his trap. "And I already have such a willing slave here. Why shouldn't I partake in what is offered?"

"Wh-what?!" Yami stuttered, one of few times in his seemingly endless life. Was Yugi planning to eat _him_? He thought his light loved him! Could he be so changed that he didn't even remember that?

Cursing inwardly, Yami glanced over at the Millennium Puzzle, wishing he had had the forethought to at least summon Kuriboh so that he could get the puzzle back. That's what you get for trusting such a pretty face!

"What do you mean what?" Yugi asked, pouting slightly. "Are you not willing? I thought for sure you wouldn't mind if I… _sucked a little._"

At that, Yami froze, eyes wide.

"Maybe I should nibble at your neck first…?" leaning forward, the little vampire brushed his lips against the tan pale collarbone before raking his sharper teeth against the leather collar he had made Yami wear earlier that day. Hearing a moan, he pulled back, making a worried face. "Oh dear… I can't seem to get to your throat… should I look for another place?"

Finally catching on to what his devious little light had cooked up, Yami groaned lowly before replying with an almost too eager, "Yes please!"

Cocking a grin that showed off his sharp fangs, Yugi trailed his hands down his dark's clothed chest, as if searching for _just_ the right spot. Shuffling backwards, Yugi shoved the loose tunic all the way up to his dark's neck, laying the ex-royal bare before him in all his naked and aroused glory. "No underwear?"

"Slaves… don't typically wear any…"

Giving his dark a wicked grin, he pretended to ponder his next move, "Hmm… I wonder where I should start…"

Deliberately ignoring the awaiting erection, the vampire wound his way up Yami's chest, tweaking his nipples and tasting his skin. Licking a trail right up to the edge of the fabric, Yugi let out a loud moan. "Mm… so good… You taste so good…"

"Taste more!" Yami pleaded, tugging on his chains. If only he could figure out how to untangle them! Then he could throw his teasing light down and take him until sunrise!

"Of course, slave." Yugi purred as he looked up at Yami with lust in his eyes before attacking a nipple with his tongue, teeth scraping against his dark's skin. The bound teen cried out, arching into the vicious attack.

So maybe he had a little thing for pain. His Aibou certainly didn't complain about it.

Liking the intense reaction that he had received, the vampire attacked the other with the same fervor, almost drawing blood when he accidentally scraped his fangs across the other's skin too harshly. Drawing back, he licked his lips, admiring his work so far.

His Yami's chest was shaking with light pants, cheeks a nice red color that almost matched his lover's eyes. His pale hands still tugged at the chains now and then, but it seemed like he had given up on escaping now.

"I wonder… where else to go?" Yugi teased as he slid his hands down his dark's hips. He spied a place that would be wonderful for a love bite, but couldn't follow that line of thought due to his pointed teeth. Wouldn't want to hurt his dark _too much_, right?

His hands trailed lower, teasingly, purposefully avoiding what his love desired most.

"Just get on with it!" Yami demanded, bucking up sharply, almost knocking the teen off his lap. Mad that the slave was ruining his fun, Yugi pouted before shooting Yami a mischievous look.

"I'm the master here, remember?" he cooed. "And it looks like a certain slave needs a little _punishment_."

"Punishment how-?!" Yami cruelly bit his lip, holding back the cry of surprise and pleasure that threatened to spring forth when his pure little light engulfed his erection in a moist heat. He yanked against the chains at the suddenness of the action, causing the metal to jingle wildly. A tongue lathered the underside of his erection brutally while pointed teeth gently grazed the sensitive skin.

It was all he could do to keep from crying out in pure pleasure and possibly catching the notice of Yugi's grandfather (who had mysteriously not welcomed them home…).

Right as he was on the edge of his climax, he felt Yugi give a long, _hard_ suck and undid the last of his defenses.

"Y-Yugi I-! … I'm cu-!" he fell into a sharp cry when he finally tipped over the edge, only for his orgasm to fall flat. Wrenching his eyes open at the cruel feelings of unsatisfaction, Yami looked down at his little vampire master with a look of confusion and hurt on his face.

"I told you." Yugi said, pulling back with a slurp and catching a few drops of pre-cum on his way out, his eyes gleaming deviously, "I'm the master here. Unruly slaves get punished!"

"Master…" Yami hated the way the word fell from his mouth so easily and how it sent a shiver up his spine. A pharaoh should not act like this!

But then again, he wasn't a pharaoh anymore, now was he?

"Yes slave?" Yugi smiled brightly.

"More, Master, please!" Yami pleaded, arching against the bed and trying to coax his light into going further.

"More, you say." Yugi licked his fingers provocatively as he decided, "Well, since you've made me so _hard_ already, I guess you'll have to fix it for me, won't you?"

"Yes Master!" Yami agreed as he felt a thrill of pleasure go up his spine when Yugi got off of him to shirk off his pants and underwear and throw them somewhere else in the room. Only now did Yami see the effect he had on his light, the effect that he had _every time_ on his light.

Cheeks rosy red and petite body trembling a bit in order to hold back, the little vampire tried to keep his calm air about him even as the slave openly stared at the straining erection at the hem of his white shirt. Not bothering to take off any more of his costume, the vampire crawled back up onto the bed, situating himself on his yami's knees.

"Such a lovely slave, so willing to please his master." Yugi let out a breathy giggle, "But how good are you, I wonder? You can't prepare me like that."

"Ah!" Yami's eyes shot up to the metal chains as he began fighting at them with renewed vigor. But his light's next words stopped him in his tracks.

"Good thing I prepared myself beforehand." Yugi said in a low, taunting voice. When red eyes fixated themselves on his face, he reached behind him, leaning forward as he spread his legs to slide the medium sized dildo out. Crimson eyes widened before narrowing in lust, a low growl building in his chest.

"Ahnnn…" Yugi moaned as he finally slid the dildo all the way out. "It felt so big when I put it in… but I bet yours is much bigger, isn't it, slave?"

"Ra yes!" Yami groaned as he watched the vampire position himself over his erection.

"If you fail to satisfy me, I'm eating you for breakfast." Yugi threatened playfully, "Now, let's see what you're capable of!"

With that, he slammed himself down, sheathing his lover's cock into his small, pliant body. Letting out a loud, throaty moan, the vampire rocked his hips to make the pain dissipate and, forgetting all pretenses, started a slow, but rough pace. Pulling until only the tip was left in, the teen slammed back down, trying to go deeper each time. Finally, he hit that spot inside of him that made him see stars and he tensed up in pleasure, squeezing his passage tight.

Groaning, Yami threw his head back onto the pillows, hissing in pleasurable delight when his Aibou continued with his pace, slowly going faster and faster. Soon, the heat and friction between the two was driving them insane and Yami bucked up to meet Yugi halfway, making the smaller cry out in appreciation as he hit his prostate dead-on.

"Y-Yugi!" Yami panted, yanking and jerking against the chains unsuccessfully. "Untangle me!"

"Uhn… ah!" After a hard thrust to gain his agreement, Yugi reached over and quickly untangled the chains where his yami could not. As soon as he had freed the ex-royal, the petite teen found himself thrown onto his back and his legs over his lover's shoulders, the older one's cock drilling into his willing hole. "Yes, Yami!"

"Yugi, Aibou…" Yami chanted as he pressed in harder, deeper, striking his little love's prostate every chance he could get. Sealing their lips in a searing kiss, Yami let their tongues dance in a passion that was mirrored by their actions. A dance of lust and love as old as time itself.

Pulling away, Yugi gasped, "Y-Yami! So… so close!"

"Aibou, Yugi…" With a final thrust, Yami brought them both over the edge into oblivion. Crying out each other's name, their vision turned white. As he spilled his seed across both their stomachs, Yugi felt hot liquid rush down his passage, coating his insides with his lover's essence.

For several seconds, the world consisted of only them and their quickened heartbeats, racing endorphins through their system. Then Yami pulled out and collapsed onto his side, pulling his exhausted light into his arms as they tried to calm their breathing.

"That was…" Yugi began.

"Amazing." Yami finished breathlessly, chuckling and nuzzling his light neck.

"Hey… 'm was gonna say that…" the tired teen slurred.

"Did you plan this all out before hand?" Yami asked, placing gentle kisses against his lover's sweaty skin. Never had the little vampire tasted so good.

"Maybe…" Yugi hummed, "It was really plan B."

"Plan B?"

"In case, your first Halloween didn't go so well."

"…" propping himself up, Yami looked into his little one's eyes. "You didn't have to go through all that trouble for me."

"But I wanted to! I wanted your first actual Halloween to be the best ever! Last year, you stayed home with me to hand out candy and didn't get to experience the real spirit of Halloween. So I planned to make it up to you by going to all of the houses with the best candy and making the best costumes. Of course, when everyone started leaving, that kind of fell apart." Yugi rolled his eyes.

"But Aibou," Yami kissed the petite teen chastely, "Any day, holiday or not, that I spend with you _is_ the best it could possibly be. All I want is to be with you."

"… So I didn't have to go through all this planning and set-up and we could've skipped the sex?" Yugi turned a blank face onto Yami who suddenly felt the tables turn.

"N-no no! Er, yes, um… what I'm trying to say is that it was all really thoughtful of you, but you didn't need to go out of you way to-!"

Giggling, Yugi put a finger to Yami's lips. "I get it, Yami. I was teasing. I probably still would've done this anyway, even if Plan A worked out."

Cracking a smile, Yami laid back down to snuggle with his light. "… Probably would have?"

"Two words: Sugar coma."

"Ah."

Silence again for about two seconds.

"How did you do the teeth?"

"Stage make-up."

"You prepared yourself."

"Yes I did."

"And didn't let me watch."

Turning a sharp, exhausted glare onto his somehow still energetic dark, Yugi said, "If you don't go to sleep, I really _will_ eat you for breakfast."

Deciding it was better to keep quiet, Yami just pulled the blankets over them, wished his hikari a good night and quickly joined him in dreamland.

o0O0o

"Hello?" Grampa's head popped out from the basement door. Peering around at the dark shop and locked door, he shrugged his shoulders. "Yugi and Yami must have already come back and gone to bed. I hope they enjoyed Halloween because it only comes around once a year! Back in my day, we had two Halloweens, but that's another story."

Turning back around, he started down the stairs again, muttering, "A few more minutes wouldn't hurt."

The next morning found him sound asleep on the carpeted basement floor, the Black Luster Soldier card lying gently in his grasp.

Phantomworks; really makes you wonder, huh?

**Alice: why did you put Grampa in there?**

Phantomworks; It was asked for. You can all thank Anime-is-me-23 for this! Anime-is-me was both the requestor and my inspiration! Everything here was a combination of both of us.

**Alice: except you wrote it.**

Phantomworks; yeah, well, there is that… Anyway, please review and don't forget to vote in my POLL. IT CLOSES TOMORROW!

**Alice: and to everyone, have a happy Halloween! (cackles like a witch)**

pw;…. Knew it.


	17. Mockingbird

Phantomworks: Hey! I've had this for a while, so it might not be as good as my usual.

**Alice: her beta agrees.**

Phantomworks: but at least I updated! I don't own Yugioh or its characters, only this fanfic.

Mockingbird

The smell of seeds woke me up like it did every morning now. Wearily blinking my eyes open, I was met with the mouth watering site of a pile of fresh, if a little dry, seeds at the edge of my nest. Chirping happily, I dug in immediately, famished.

I had no clue who was leaving seeds by my nest, nor did I really care. I was too hungry to, in all honesty. All the other birds swiped my food during spring, summer, and fall so I had little stored for winter. That's when these piles started turning up.

I had no idea who was leaving them for a small wren like me. That's right, wren. Not a vibrant cardinal or ruby-crested robin; not even a black capped chick-a-dee! I was just an ordinary brown/white wren, well almost ordinary. Normal wrens don't have tri-colored hair like me or amethyst eyes.

Sometimes I wonder if my parents had been hybrids of birds or something, but the more richly decorated birds take pride in their colors and would never mate with a wren. So I have no clue why my hair is raven black with a European Starling violet sheen to it or that my bangs are canary yellow. That, added to violet eyes, pale skin and puny size equaled up to nothing normal about me.

And nothing that was desirable.

Sighing, I stretched my wings so that I could go look for whatever meager food was left. Winter was almost over so mating season would start soon. With my nest done, I could actually try to win a mate this year, though I really doubt that I'll succeed.

What with the Mockingbird as my neighbor and all.

Yeah, well, it was my choice to make my nest by his, even if his is in one of those human contraptions for birds. It looks so warm and cozy, unlike my nest out here in the cold… Stop day-dreaming, Yugi!

Anyway, with a sexy (what? He is) neighbor like that mocking bird, almost all the girl birds flock to him, leaving me alone. Hopefully I can catch one bird's eyes this year!

-Time skip-

_Sniff… ungh!_ I whimper.

The day is at its close and I am beyond happy for that. I wish that the morning never comes! Yes, I know that that's a horrible thought for a morning song bird, if you count my cheeps as songs, but I really don't want another morning to come! Mating season has started off horribly!

No, it's not that the girls are ignoring me over my neighbor, but rather they are attacking me! They ripped apart half of my nest and stole the rest of my food storage! Being ignored would be way better than this!

Maybe I shouldn't have built my nest next to that mocking bird. Yes, my original intent was to maybe,_ possibly_, be able to hear the mysterious and illusive song that has been accredited to the mockingbirds' _true_ song but…no melody is worth living through _this_!

At least we haven't had many run ins, so he won't ask why I left. He'll just see the empty wrecked nest and make any assumption he wants and go on his merry way. It's not like he'll miss me or anything. We don't even know each other's names!

The few times we've talked was when I first started building my nest, to which he asked me to be quiet and the other a couple weeks into winter where I didn't wake up on time to welcome the new day. For that, he simply told me that I was late.

So I'm sure that he'll be happy to have my disturbances out of his life. After all, mockingbirds were also known for their immense dislike of change. I just hope that my presence hadn't disrupted his life too much.

Sighing, I slowly dragged myself into a sitting position, looking up at the stars. Never had I stayed up so late, but it's kind of hard to sleep on an empty stomach. Checking over the stars carefully, I made plans to go somewhere else when I heard a rustling sound in the bare trees.

Glancing up quickly, my wings came up, ready to take flight if necessary. My stomach growled and I was quick to cover it, trying to silence it, blushing brightly. Suddenly, a shadow took flight, leaping from a near-by branch, much closer than I had thought, and alit on the landing of the mockingbird's home.

Had he not gotten home until now? What had he been doing all day?

Curious, I hopped to the edge of my nest and dropped into the air. My dull white tunic rippled around me. I am _so_ glad I found that piece of golden string to tie my tunic around my waist or else it would hang open embarrassingly.

Light emanated from the entrance to the mockingbird's home as I landed softly, if not clumsily, on the landing. Shyly, I peeked in, getting my first chance to see the inside of my neighbor's home.

To say that it was pretty would be an understatement.

Shiny objects decorated the walls, flashing in the light from captured lightning bugs and fluorescent plants. It was pretty well lit for a nest, almost like those human dens. Soft, warm fabrics replaced prickly sticks that would normally form a nest and in the center of the mass of colorful material sat the mockingbird himself.

Did I mention how handsome he is?

It might be a little weird for me to say so, given the fact that we're nearly identical despite our breeds, but it's true! He has raven black hair and canary yellow bangs as well, though his hair had a cardinal red sheen to it, matching unusually red eyes. He was also dressed richly, soft dark gray robes adorning his body in tasteful blend to his black feathers.

Didn't I say he was handsome?

But that was _not_ the reason that I started to drool! I can explain it perfectly!

…

He had an acorn cap full of seeds in his hands.

My stomach growled longingly, catching the attention of Mr. Mockingbird. His gaze jerked to the entrance of his home. 'Eep'-ing, I quickly ducked under the ledge of the opening.

"Who's there?" he twittered, "Come out!"

Gulping, I slowly rose from my hiding spot, ducking my head submissively. It wouldn't do to make him mad in his own home. Instinctively, I flinched at his voice.

"What do you want?"

Before I could open my mouth to answer, my stomach grumbled. Blushing bright red, I looked through my bangs at his annoyed yet amused expression. "U-um… could you spare a few seeds, Mr. Mockingbird?"

"Do you not have your own stores of food?"

"I… I _did_…"

"Did you eat it all?"

"No, others came and stole them." Silence came then, I'm sure he could smell the shame rolling off of me. I heard more than saw him move, his clothes rustling against one another.

"I suppose I can spare a few before the flowers bare seeds once again."

"Really?!" I chirped, my head jerking up. His hard stare reminded me of where I was and I lowered my head again.

"Yes, I have extra anyways."

"Thank you!" I tweeted, reaching for the acorn cap bowl. His hand gripped mine, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make me freeze on the spot.

"You must eat them here." He ordered.

Here, in this nice, warm, well-lit nest with soft fabric to sit on? I had _no_ qualms with that. I nodded.

He let go of my hand then to walk around his nest. Meanwhile, I picked up two or three seeds the size of my hand and bit into them hungrily. These were so good! Probably because I hadn't eaten all day and part of yesterday, but still!

Instinctively, my eyes tracked him as he walked around his home. He wiped some off the duller objects with his sleeve, making them shine again.

I looked down briefly to pick up some more seeds, then my eyes followed him again. He walked past a few fireflies, ushering them into a spacious cage as he went by. After that, he slid a thread with a single bead off his neck and placed it on top of a notch in the wood.

_Must be getting ready for bed._ I thought.

Turning back to my food, I grabbed another handful, thinking he would chase me out soon. Then something tackled me from behind and we fell sprawled out on the mounds of soft fabric.

"Ah!" I squeaked, instincts taking over. Listening to them, I did what every self-respecting male would do.

Squirm and squawk and try to get whatever was attacking me off so that I could fly away.

However, my attacker had other plans as something closed around the second joint of my wing. My struggles died almost instantly. For a good reason!

If I struggle anymore and hurt my wing, I wouldn't be able to escape! I whimpered pathetically, hoping against hope that my attacker would leave me alone.

Where was the mockingbird when you needed him! Don't tell me that he already fled, leaving me here!?

"Sh, sh. Calm down." Words whistled quietly past my ear, the voice making my body heat up. "Be still."

Why was the mockingbird pinning me to his nest?!

Despite his words, I struggled more, knocking over the seeds and messing up the soft fabric with my thrashing. That's when a semi-familiar scent hit me and my insides went cold. By messing up the fabric, I had uncovered a trove of different colored feathers, all with different scents and markings.

A few of them smelled like one of the bullies that had stolen my food.

Was he… dead?!

An unearthly shriek pierced the air. It took me a few moments before I realized that it came from myself.

"Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me!" I cheeped pathetically. My will to fight was gone. Now I just wanted to escape with my life and leave _as soon as possible._

A.S.A.P!

"Sh, sh, I'm not going to hurt you, little wren." The mockingbird cooed.

"Please, let me go! Please!" I begged. His free had traced my other wing, fingers dancing over the sensitive feathers. Shivering, I swallowed thickly.

"Let you go? But I've waited so long to get you here. Besides, you ate my food." Does he have a multiple personality disorder or something!? Maybe he's bipolar- I don't know but something is definitely wrong with him!

"B-But you s-said I could!" I fell quiet as his grip tightened on my wing. Obviously, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "I-I'm sorry! I'll go find more seeds to replace them! As soon as the flowers bloom, I will! I swear!"

His grip loosened slightly, though not enough for me to break free. "You don't have to. I have enough for two after all."

He does? So why is he pinning me to the ground!? Was it something else I did wrong? I don't think I tracked mud in or knocked anything over so… "Then… why…?"

He sighed. "This mating season was supposed to be like all the others. Females were supposed to follow me everywhere and I ignore them to the best of my ability. However, this year, _I_ was the one to try and get the attention of a bird."

I blinked. Okay, so what's that have to do with the current situation?

"The one I pursue is smart and kind and beautiful beyond words. At first, I didn't like them, but that was because I dislike change. Though the more I looked, the more I lusted after what I wanted, _who_ I wanted to be mine." the hand that had been running over my feathers crept its way to the first joint of the same wing, first joint being the one where my wing met my body. I stiffened, but fought the urge to fight back. That would only make him angrier and more likely to hurt me.

"However, they wouldn't be courted the same way as others."

"W-What?" I asked, not fully comprehending. So far he had told me a lot about this girl he liked, never mentioning a name or anything, so I had started to make my own speculation.

Most beautiful around? Well that was obviously Téa, the mourning dove. But I don't understand. She liked him enough that if he simply cocked a 'come-hither' motion to her- she'd jump him!

"Yes, this one required more… subtle ways of courting. I protected them, fed them, got revenge _for_ them, all in secret. Doubt my love has even figured this out, even now." his hand trailed down my spine, barely concealed by my tunic. Right now, I'm so glad that I found that gold thread to tie my tunic down. This would've been awkward otherwise.

As if it wasn't already.

"I-I'm sure that T-Téa would be h-happy to mate with you i-if you told h-her!" my breath hitched, because his hand had dropped to my lower back. It stopped there and I could feel anger start to roll off him. Had I said something wrong again?

"You think I like that ugly mourning dove that can't sing worth dung?" the mockingbird hissed. Shakily, I took a breath to hopefully calm my nerves. No such luck.

"Y-yes?"

Immediately, his hand, no, his _talons _dug into my lower back. Delayed pain shot through me and I cried out. He jerked back in surprise. Carefully removing his claws, he said a brief, sorrowful apology. After which he snapped the gold thread and carefully shoved my tunic up to clean my wound… with his tongue.

"Eek! W-what are you doing?!" I squeaked, body heating uncomfortably. This was _not_ good! Especially during mating season when I'm supposed to-! "S-Stop! W-weren't you just t-talking about a g-girl you like?!"

"…" the mocking bird paused in his work. "You thought I was talking about a girl? Is that what you think?"

I was afraid to answer. Last time I did, he hurt me so I wasn't too keen to repeat my mistake. However, he took my silence as an answer and sighed in frustrations.

"Yugi, Yugi, Yugi…" he shook his head with every whisper of my name. How did he know it anyway?! "You really are too innocent for your own good. Either that, or selfishly ignorant, but something tells me that that's not the case."

Turning my head to the side, I could barely get a glance at those crimson red eyes. Keeping silent, I stared at him in confusion. He continued.

"Have you not noticed that the birds no longer pick on you or steal from you? Or the food in your nest when you wake up every morning? Have you really missed these?" he asked. That's when the pieces clicked together. The food and quiet rustling when I went to gather what meager food I could and, now that I noticed, the fact that none of the normal bullies had bothered me for weeks now…

Why hadn't I seen it before?

"B-but… you?" I couldn't quite voice my question, but he seemed to know.

"Yes, me. At first I hadn't liked you because you used to sing every morning and wake me up. I used to hate it, but then one day, I woke up without your song. I thought you left and it made me feel strangely empty. Of course, that's when you woke up late to sing and I realized how I truly felt."

Blinking at him, I couldn't make sense of his words. They didn't make sense. Why didn't they? My body was so hot…"H-How you f-felt?"

"Mm-hm, how I felt and still feel. I want to keep you here, to make sure you never leave. To keep you fed so that you'll never go to sleep hungry and sad again. Keep you warm and safe with me. I don't want that empty feeling again."

His words made me blush –well, that and his breath ghosting over my lower back-, but I didn't know if I could let myself trust him. Everyone else had, at some point or another, hurt me. Could I let another get close enough without being truly broken when he got bored and left?

No, I couldn't do it.

"P-Please… let me go… I-I-!" small tears ran down my face, staining his fabric nest. Though I wished with all my heart that I could stay here, in this warm, soft, and bright home, I just couldn't do it.

I had to leave.

"Didn't you hear me? You aren't going anywhere. I'm going to make sure that you stay with me." Flinching, I braced myself, waiting for some sort of blow that would most likely render me senseless or numb to the world.

What I got was _nothing_ like what I expected.

In one movement, he flipped me onto my back, trapping my wings behind me. In the next, our lips were sealed together in a searing kiss that travelled all the way down my spine. His tongue was so talented, that my mind forgot our previous conversation long enough for him to slip my tunic up my chest.

When we finally broke apart, my lungs were screaming for air and my mind was in a fog. That fog only cleared when my tunic was pulled over my head and down my arms, entangling my limbs above my head. If I wasn't defenseless before, I was now.

"P-please stop!" I begged, trying to reason with him and myself. My body was making that increasingly hard and he certainly wasn't helping.

"Why?" he asked, tongue stroking up my chest. "You know my intentions. I have you right where I want you. Why would I stop now?"

"I… we… I don't know your name!"

"Yami, nice to make your acquaintance." Crimson eyes glowed with mirth and another emotion that made my skin tingle. Nimble fingers traced nonsensical patterns down my sides, not quite ticklish, but not quite arousing either.

"That's not what I-!" my face bloomed red when his tongue dipped into my navel, teeth scraping the skin there. He was closer to my need, but not close enough. If he was just a little more…

"If you are trying to talk me out of this, you will have to do a better job, Yugi." his lust laden voice made me shiver and tremble in need. It was getting harder and harder to tell him no.

It was especially hard when he began to strip himself of his own robes, baring smooth skin that gleamed in the dim light of the lightning bugs. I unconsciously licked my lips.

Why was I saying no in the first place again? Oh yeah…

"But I…" I squeezed my eyes shut. "I mate for life!"

I was banking on that stopping him and sure enough, he paused. But instead of backing away, like I had thought he would, he leaned down close, his breath rasping beside my ear.

"That makes this all the easier." He cooed, "So do I."

I was only able think '_shoot, he's serious!_' before a set of teeth bit lightly into my ear, causing pleasure to spike through me as another hand wandered up to play with my nipples. The double action nearly did me in and pre-cum started to drip from my hard cock.

Curse you, mating season and your over-sensitivity!

"Relax," he warned me as he pulled away and trailed his hands downwards. "Or this will hurt."

Hurt? Did he say hurt? As in pain?

Something slick prodded at my entrance and I squirmed in discomfort as it started to slide in. Confusion swirled in me. "Wh-what are you doing?!"

"Well, if you were a girl, I wouldn't need to do this." Yami stated evenly, his crimson eyes innocent. "Then again, if you were a girl, we wouldn't be here, now would we?"

"What?" I asked, just as he slid a second finger in beside the other. This one hurt and I hissed in pain. "T-take them out! It hurts!"

"I can't. If I don't prepare you, it will hurt a lot more." He soothed, running a calming hand up and down my side to rest at my hip.

"P-Prepare me for what?" I asked, not understanding. It couldn't be the obvious, only guys and girls do that. Besides, I didn't have the necessary parts, so it had to be something else, right? Right?

"For the main event, of course." He said, an amused grin on his lips. As he said that, he gestured to his groin where a thick cock was standing at attention.

My first thought was '_did I do that?_' The second was '_NO WAY IS THAT GOING IN ME!_' and I told him as much.

"That will not fit!" I said as I squirmed to get away. "That will break me! I'll break in two!"

"No you won't." he assured. "That's why I'm preparing you. Now if you don't stop squirming, I _will_ tie you down!"

"Like you haven't already?!" I squawked indignantly, flailing my bound arms above my head. Truthfully, they weren't bound tightly, but I couldn't untangle them for the life of me! My coordination skills sucked.

He frowned, but instead of replying, he merely quirked a finger up, making hot pleasure shoot through me. A strangled gasp managed to make it past my lips as my back arched. In response, he chuckled quietly and repeated his action with similar results. The pleasure was so breath-taking that I didn't even feel him slide in a third finger before he was drawing them out.

I whined at the loss, causing him to laugh at me. Crimson eyes focused playfully on me, a grin playing at his lips. "I thought you didn't want this."

I didn't… right? But it felt so good! Why didn't I want this again?

When I failed to respond, he kissed me deeply, calling my attention completely back to him. "Don't fade out on me now, little wren. This is the best part, after all."

He positioned himself between my parted legs. Something hot and wet brushed against my entrance, making me blush furiously. Embarrassed, I shifted, not sure if it was to get away or get him closer.

A hand at my jaw forced me to look up into deep, wine-red eyes. He stared at me, calculating, before speaking, "If you truly don't want this, tell me now."

The denial was on the tip of my tongue, but it didn't quite make it out. I did want this, I really did, but I didn't want to get hurt when he got bored of me.

"I… I do want this but…" I looked away, ashamed, "How can I be sure that this will be good? That in a few years from now, you'll still want to be with me and that I'll want to be with you?"

"Love is a tricky thing." He stated truthfully. "I cannot guarantee what you will feel in the future, but I can promise you this. I will never leave your side. I will always provide for you and I will always take care of you. I will always love you."

My heart beat picked up and hope sprang to life in my chest. Yami looked so truthfully that I couldn't help but give my assent. Even if he did end up bored with me, I knew that the years between then and now would be the most wonderful of my life.

His smile was pure joy as he sealed our lips in a grateful kiss. I eagerly responded, finding a distraction before pain seared through me as he breached my muscles. He swallowed my scream and rubbed his thumb soothingly across my hip bone. Soon, he had pressed into the hilt and stopped, waiting for me to adjust.

Breaking our kiss to suck in much needed air, I let out a soft whimper as he shifted to nuzzle and bite at my neck instead. His nibbles were needy and his length throbbed hotly within me, something that made me close my legs tighter around his waist. At my movement, he moaned lowly in my ear, a noise that that went straight to my groin.

"Yugi." he groaned. "I can't hold back much longer!"

"M'kay." I said, trying to keep strong. "You can…you can move."

He moaned thankfully and pulled out, his hot flesh leaving me achingly empty. The emptiness quickly left as he slammed back in, pressing me into his soft nest made of fabric and the feathers of my enemies.

I'd have to ask him about that later, if I remembered, that is.

Retreating again, he started a slow, hard pace that was just slow enough to have me begging for more. Ignoring such pleas, he kept his deep thrusts steady, searching for something that I couldn't possibly-!

I let out an ear-piercing scream.

"Found it." He grunted happily, pace increasing as he slammed into that once spot inside of me. Stars danced before my eyes and I gasped for air to scream. So much pleasure from one spot –it was driving me crazy!

The fire that licked at my skin travelled down my nerves, coiling in my stomach. I knew something was about to happen, something was about to explode. I was right on the edge! All I needed was a little-!

Then he wrapped his hand around my cock and stroked it in time with his thrusts. With a pleasured cry, I released all over my stomach, clenching down on his hot length. He groaned, thrusting into me once, twice, three times, and then burying himself as deeply as possible in my tight channel. With a roar of completion, he came deep inside me, leaving a burning brand in the inner most part of me.

Both panting harshly, he collapsed onto his side, leaving me just enough room to catch my breath. An arm snuck its way around my waist as he nuzzled my side, not bothering to pull out. I almost fell asleep when I remembered one thing.

"Those feathers…" I started, before changing my direction altogether. "Are you going to kill me when you get bored?"

"I will _never_ get bored of you." He said sternly, staring seriously into my eyes. "And I didn't kill the others. Roughed them up a bit and cut off their flight feathers, yes, but I didn't _kill_ them. What kind of bird do you take me for?"

"I don't know, one who forces a mating against your will?"

"Need I remind you that you assented to this?" he raised one perfect eyebrow. "Besides, it didn't _sound_ like you hated it."

At that, I blushed bright red. "Shut up and go to sleep."

"Gladly." He smirked before using me as his pillow. His wings stretched out over us as a blanket, keeping us nice and warm. Within seconds, we were both asleep.

o0O0o

"Yugi?" Yami asked when he returned to the 'house'. It had been about two weeks since we mated. During that time, I had collected seeds for winter while Yami had his hands full beating off other suitors that didn't like his choice in mate. So far, we had lived together pretty well.

"Yes?" I asked, uncertainty tinting my voice. His tone was shocked above all else, but with a hint of some emotion that set me off. Had I not collected enough seeds?

"This pile…" Yami started, staring at the pile of seeds that had taken up half of the space of the 'house'. I looked back too, pouting.

"Is it too little?" I asked, "I could always go get more…"

"I think it's too much." He said. "How are we going to eat all this?"

"It's for winter!"

"… That's another nine months away." He stated. "Why are you storing up now?"

"Because last year, everyone else took my food. I'm making sure there will be enough for both of us." I said simply.

He sighed. "Yugi, no one will be taking our food. Besides, we don't need to keep it here. Let's go put it somewhere where it will be out of the way and I _won't_ feel like it's about to fall on us."

"Okay…" I relented. I could deal with hiding it. After all, I hid the other five stores all over the yard.

I hope the squirrels don't get to them.

o0O0o

Phantomworks: Okay, so I made this to make fun of a book I had to read in tenth grade.

**Alice; To Kill a Mockingbird?**

Phantomworks: yep. I didn't like the teacher, or the book. This is the result.

**Alice: nice.**

Phantomworks: Thanks. Also, this is your LAST chance to vote in my poll. Next week, the poll will be closed. Please review and enjoy your summer!


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